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By reviewing regulative documents and extant literature, this paper explores the realities and trends of international students in East and Southeast Asia (ESA). It also shows motivation and strategies of four new players in the international higher education sector in East and Southeast Asia i.e., China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. Apart from showing that intraregional students have not predominated the overall international student population in the region anymore, the paper highlights that ESA region has become an established hub of international students rather than a new emerging destination as it was in previous years. The overall net flow of international students in this region was still deficit prior to 2010s, but the deficit in 2017 is still less than that of 2010?s. This is probably the first study of its kind to examine the trends of international students as well as of higher education policies of countries in the ESA region. The findings of this study shall provide an insight into international higher education trends among the ESA countries for stakeholders, including policymakers, university managers, faculty, students, and parents.

Malaysia's long-term development plan Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 broadens the discourse on inequality by drawing attention to the labour income share as an indicator ofthe inequality between lai)our and capital owners. However. availal,Ie evidence shows that anchoring inequality on a higher labour income share that is underpinned by broad-based growth in low value-added activities may be at odds with Malaysia'. ambitions Of teclinological lipgrading, moving towards higher productivity, and utilizing capital-intensive modes of production. Against this backdrop, this paper makes the argument that the missing piece iii this narrative is the labour income dispersion. The effects of labour income on income inequality in Malaysia depend more on the labour income dispersion than the labour income share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: This paper aims to examine the decision usefulness of net income (NI) which includes predictive power and value relevance by comparing it with comprehensive income (CI), for financial firms in Malaysia. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study uses panel data analysis techniques which focus on unbalanced panel dataset of 2012 to 2017, obtained from 29 financial firms listed in Malaysia. Research findings: Results show that in the case of predictive power tests, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that one accounting metric has better predictive power than the other. In the case of value relevance, results show that NI is better than CI when using the price and return models. This indicates that NI is more decision useful to investors than CI for financial firms in Malaysia. Theoretical contribution/Originality: This study expands on the literature of decision usefulness of NI (in comparison to CI) for financial firms within an emerging economy, such as Malaysia, which has a smaller and less efficient market. The findings support the agency theory, particularly the Type II agency problem, which show that there is a conflict between controlling and non-controlling shareholders. This outcome may reduce the demand for quality reporting for external shareholders. This study is related to fair value accounting (FVA) which is still underexplored in the Malaysian setting. The outcome may provide some insights into the financial statements used by investors for understanding the effect of FVA on reported earnings in Malaysia. Such evidence is currently lacking. Practitioner/Policy implications: The findings may be helpful to investors in making better investment decisions in the Malaysian market. This study may benefit academicians by expanding the literature on decision usefulness of FVA in an emerging economy. The outcome derived offers a body of knowledge to academia as a reference for future research. This paper may also be relevant to the standard setters, regulators, and policymakers as it offers empirical evidence on the decision usefulness of accounting information disclosures in the context of an emerging country such as Malaysia. Research limitation/Implications: The limitation of this study lies in the small sample size used, thereby reducing the generalisability of the findings. Larger sample size may add robustness to the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family and life takaful play an important role in providing individual financial security especially for 40 percent of households with the lowest income (B40) who are considered to be a vulnerable group in the event of financial depression. The household income for B40 is below RM3,860 per month and is expected to increase to RM5,270 in 2020 as stated in the 11th Malaysia (Economic) Plan. The importance of family and life takaful becomes more significant with increasing risks faced by the B40 such as the higher cost of living, lower savings and high indebtedness, which in turn expose this group to the risk of economic insecurity. Some initiatives have been introduced in order to help the B40 groups such as giving financial aid to encourage them to be involved in entrepreneurship, providing special training sessions to enable them to manage their finances, and providing special takaful coverage (group takaful) for the B40. The objectives of this paper are to explore the viability of establishing a takaful fund for this target group by leveraging on the waqf model; to investigate the extent of the ownership of family and life takaful among the B40; and to identify how the waqf fund can potentially become a mechanism to initiate an exclusive takaful coverage for the B40. This research has been conducted using the qualitative method by focusing on articles, journals and library-based sources. The paper also identifies the Takaful as providing the element of savings and security to policy owners, who usually the main income earner or breadwinner, if something untoward happens and they require financial aid in the future. Besides, takaful is also presented as a savings mobilizer, financial intermediary and promoter of investment activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty issues are still prevalent in Malaysia and microfinance is one of the best available tools to overcome that situation because it provides loans with fewer regulations. Response from 330 respondents were acquired to bolster this fact and this paper projects strong evidences on the effectiveness of microfinance and its potential to eradicate poverty in Malaysia using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation- Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results of the study show that there is a significant relationship between loan characteristics, family status, borrowers' characteristics, business features and training development on social wellbeing, employment generation, household income and micro enterprise performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Advances in medical domain has led to an increase of clinical data production which offers enhancement opportunities for clinical research sector. In this paper, we propose to expand the scope of Electronic Medical Records in the University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) using different techniques in establishing interoperability functions between multiple clinical departments involving diagnosis, screening and treatment of breast cancer and building automatic systems for clinical audits as well as for potential data mining to enhance clinical breast cancer research in the future., Results: Quality Implementation Framework (QIF) was adopted to develop the breast cancer module as part of the in-house EMR system used at UMMC, called i-Pesakit©. The completion of the i-Pesakit© Breast Cancer Module requires management of clinical data electronically, integration of clinical data from multiple internal clinical departments towards setting up of a research focused patient data governance model. The 14 QIF steps were performed in four main phases involved in this study which are (i) initial considerations regarding host setting, (ii) creating structure for implementation, (iii) ongoing structure once implementation begins, and (iv) improving future applications. The architectural framework of the module incorporates both clinical and research needs that comply to the Personal Data Protection Act., Conclusion: The completion of the UMMC i-Pesakit© Breast Cancer Module required populating EMR including management of clinical data access, establishing information technology and research focused governance model and integrating clinical data from multiple internal clinical departments. This multidisciplinary collaboration has enhanced the quality of data capture in clinical service, benefited hospital data monitoring, quality assurance, audit reporting and research data management, as well as a framework for implementing a responsive EMR for a clinical and research organization in a typical middle-income country setting. Future applications include establishing integration with external organization such as the National Registration Department for mortality data, reporting of institutional data for national cancer registry as well as data mining for clinical research. We believe that integration of multiple clinical visit data sources provides a more comprehensive, accurate and real-time update of clinical data to be used for epidemiological studies and audits.

Malaysia has consistently placed high priority on reducing income inequality, particularly between ethnic groups, with increasing emphasis in recent years on national--rather than intergroup--inequality, exclusion of low-income households, and gender disparity. Official statistics show steeply declining household income inequality in recent years, and a marginal gender wage gap, but further investigation finds different trends and more nuanced pictures. This paper presents alternative findings that pose questions about the official account. Computing estimates of wage distribution, the study finds moderate changes in inequality, with relatively higher wage growth at the top and bottom ends--managers, production and elementary workers--while professionals, skilled workers and service workers have experienced slower gains. Shifts in Malaysia's economic structure and labour markets are consistent with the modest changes in inequality that are observed, and somewhat confound the drastic drop plotted in official sources. On gender inequality, women's rapidly increased educational attainment and steadily rising labour participation have bolstered their economic standing, and may account for the surprisingly low average male-female wage disparity. However, when disaggregated by occupation, age group, and employment status, substantial gender gaps are observed. Malaysia's efforts to redress inequality warrant more rigorous analyses and systematic policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from school to university brings significant adjustments in lifestyle, body weight, and living environment for young adults, potentially impacting their quality of life. Emerging evidence suggests the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have exacerbated these changes. This cross-sectional study involved 361 young adults (18–25 years) from Malaysian tertiary institutions, aiming to identify factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) post-COVID-19 restrictions. Data were collected online between April and July 2022, utilizing the WHOQOL-BREF for HRQOL assessment. Participants, with a median age of 23, scored highest in the physical health domain (mean: 63.2, SD = 16.2) and lowest in psychological health (mean: 58.2, SD = 16.9). Physical health domain scores varied by ethnicity, the field of study, weight category, and prescription medicine usage; environmental health scores by ethnicity and household income; and social health scores by age. Moderate perceived stress and low perceived support were significant predictors of poor HRQOL. Across the weight categories, sleep quality, perceived stress, and support have consistently impacted the HRQOL domain scores. This study underscores the multifaceted influences on young adults' quality of life during the transition to university, especially in post-pandemic adjustments, highlighting the importance of addressing factors such as perceived stress and support to enhance overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information on extra costs of disability among developing countries, including Malaysia, is lacking and the issue seems neglected. As a result, an appropriate amount of monetary assistance that should be provided to the disabled community in Malaysia could not be determined. This paper undertakes a preliminary analysis of the extra costs of having a disability, by taking the staff of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) as the sample as to calculate the extra costs of having a disability. The standard of living approach is adopted, and the extra costs are calculated by dividing the estimated coefficient of disability variables by the estimated coefficient of income. This paper analyses the extra costs among households containing one person with disabilities, and also across different severity levels, types of disability, according to gender, and residential area (i.e. urban or rural). Overall, a household containing one person with disabilities accounted 27.5 per cent out of their monthly income to fulfil disability-related needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Malaysia, asthma is a common chronic respiratory illness. Poor asthma control may increase out-of-pocket payment for asthma care, leading to financial hardships Malaysia provides Universal Health Coverage for the population with low user fees in the public health system to reduce financial hardship. We aimed to determine out-of-pocket expenditure on outpatient care for adult patients with asthma visiting government-funded public health clinics. We examined the catastrophic impact and medical impoverishment of these expenses on patients and households in Klang District, Malaysia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional face-to-face questionnaire survey carried out in six government-funded public health clinics in Klang District, Malaysia. We collected demographic, socio-economic profile, and outpatient asthma-related out-of-pocket payments from 1003 adult patients between July 2019 and January 2020. Incidence of catastrophic health expenditure was estimated as the proportion of patients whose monthly out-of-pocket payments exceeded 10% of their monthly household income. Incidence of poverty was calculated as the proportion of patients whose monthly household income fell below the poverty line stratified for the population of the Klang District. The incidence of medical impoverishment was estimated by the change in the incidence of poverty after out-of-pocket payments were deducted from household income. Predictors of catastrophic health expenditure were determined using multivariate regression analysis. Results: We found the majority (80%) of the public health clinic attendees were from low-income groups, with 41.6% of households living below the poverty line. About two-thirds of the attendees reported personal savings as the main source of health payment. The cost of transportation and complementary-alternative medicine for asthma were the main costs incurred. The incidences of catastrophic expenditure and impoverishment were 1.69% and 0.34% respectively. The only significant predictor of catastrophic health expenditure was household income. Patients in the higher income quintiles (Q2, Q3, Q4) had lower odds of catastrophic risk than the lowest quintile (Q1). Age, gender, ethnicity, and poor asthma control were not significant predictors. Conclusion: The public health system in Malaysia provides financial risk protection for adult patients with asthma. Although patients benefited from the heavily subsidised public health services, this study highlighted those in the lowest income quintile still experienced financial catastrophe and impoverishment, and the risk of financial catastrophe was significantly greater in this group. It is crucial to ensure health equity and protect patients of low socio-economic groups from financial hardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-management support has been recognized as one of the most essential elements of the Chronic Care Model (CCM). Inspired by the CCM, the EMPOWER-SUSTAIN Global Cardiovascular Risks Self-Management Booklet© was developed to aid and sustain self-management among patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in primary care to prevent cardiovascular complications. However, the usability of this booklet among these patients is not known. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the usability of this self-management booklet and identify the factors associated with its usability among patients with MetS in primary care. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with MetS attending a university primary care clinic in Selangor, Malaysia. The usability score was measured using a previously translated and validated EMPOWER-SUSTAIN Usability Questionnaire (E-SUQ) with a score of > 68 indicating good usability. Multiple logistic regressions determined the factors associated with its usability. Results: A total of 391 patients participated in this study. More than half (61.4%) had a good usability score of > 68, with a mean (± SD) usability score of 72.8 (± 16.1). Participants with high education levels [secondary education (AOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.04, 5.83) and tertiary education (AOR 2.49, 95% CI 1.04, 5.96)], those who used the booklet at home weekly (AOR 2.94, 95% CI 1.63, 5.33) or daily (AOR 2.73, 95% CI 1.09, 6.85), and those who had social support to use the booklet (AOR 1.64, 95% CI 1.02, 2.64) were significantly associated with good usability of the booklet. Conclusions: The usability of the EMPOWER-SUSTAIN Global Cardiovascular Risks Self-Management Booklet© was good among patients with MetS in this primary care clinic, which supports its widespread use as a patient empowerment tool. The findings of this study also suggest that it is vital to encourage daily or weekly use of this booklet at home, with the support of family members. The focus should also be given to those with lower education to improve the usability of this booklet for this group of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defining the poverty line has been acknowledged as being highly variable by the majority of published literature. Despite long discussions and successes, poverty line has a number of problems due to its arbitrary nature. This paper proposes three measurements of poverty lines using membership functions based on fuzzy set theory. The three membership functions, namely exponential, trapezoidal and quadratic sigmoid together with their calculation steps are discussed. Average monthly household incomes of Malaysians are used to illustrate the proposed poverty line. Three new sets of poverty lines were derived for 3 years as numerical application to the proposed membership functions. The numerical results show the flexibility of poverty lines resulted from the composition of the proposed functions. It suggests that the official poverty line for Malaysians is too low thus creating an underestimation of the extent of poverty in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual practice within public hospitals, characterised by the concurrent provision of public and private healthcare services within public hospitals, has become a widespread phenomenon. With the participation of selected public hospitals, dual practice within public hospitals, also known as Full Paying Patient services, was an initiative the Ministry of Health Malaysia took in 2007 to retain senior specialist physicians in Malaysia. The revenue generated from the Full Paying Patient services aims to provide an avenue for public sector specialists to supplement their incomes while alleviating the Government's burden of subsidising healthcare for financially capable individuals. However, the effectiveness of Full Paying Patient services in recouping service delivery costs and yielding a profit is still uncertain after 16 years of implementation. This study is designed to evaluate the impact of Full Paying Patient inpatient services volume, revenue, and cost on profit versus loss at selected hospitals from 2017 to 2020. From the perspective of healthcare providers, we plan to perform a cost volume profit analysis. This analysis enables us to determine the break-even point, at which total revenues match total costs, along with no-loss and no-profit thresholds for Full Paying Patient services. This study has the potential to provide insights into how variations in service volume, cost, and pricing impact healthcare providers' profitability. It also offers critical financial information regarding the volume of services required to reach the break-even point. A comprehensive understanding of service volume, cost and pricing is imperative for making informed decisions to fulfil the objectives and ensure the sustainability of the FPP services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In line with a rapidly ageing global population, the rise in the frequency of falls will lead to increased healthcare and social care costs. This study will be one of the few randomized controlled trials evaluating a multifaceted falls intervention in a low-middle income, culturally-diverse older Asian community. The primary objective of our paper is to evaluate whether individually tailored multifactorial interventions will successfully reduce the number of falls among older adults., Methods: Three hundred community-dwelling older Malaysian adults with a history of (i) two or more falls, or (ii) one injurious fall in the past 12 months will be recruited. Baseline assessment will include cardiovascular, frailty, fracture risk, psychological factors, gait and balance, activities of daily living and visual assessments. Fallers will be randomized into 2 groups: to receive tailored multifactorial interventions (intervention group); or given lifestyle advice with continued conventional care (control group). Multifactorial interventions will target 6 specific risk factors. All participants will be re-assessed after 12 months. The primary outcome measure will be fall recurrence, measured with monthly falls diaries. Secondary outcomes include falls risk factors; and psychological measures including fear of falling, and quality of life., Discussion: Previous studies evaluating multifactorial interventions in falls have reported variable outcomes. Given likely cultural, personal, lifestyle and health service differences in Asian countries, it is vital that individually-tailored multifaceted interventions are evaluated in an Asian population to determine applicability of these interventions in our setting. If successful, these approaches have the potential for widespread application in geriatric healthcare services, will reduce the projected escalation of falls and fall-related injuries, and improve the quality of life of our older community., Trial Registration: ISRCTN11674947.

INTRODUCTION: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a significant issue that should not be ignored in the clinical setting and can negatively affect the quality of life of patients and their partners. This study aims to determine the prevalence of ED and its associated factors among men who visited 12 government health clinics in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between July and October 2021, 300 males aged 18 to 60 participated in this cross-sectional study at 12 government health clinics in Kuantan. Information on demographic data, medical history, and lifestyle of the participants was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire that included a validated Malay version of the 21 item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of self-reported ED was 69.3%. In terms of severity, 45.7% had mild, 20.7% mild-to-moderate, 2.3% moderate, and 1% severe ED. Multivariate analysis showed that ED associated with diabetes (OR 2.97, 95% CI 1.13-7.79); anxiety (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.06 - 7.67) and household income (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.18-0.95). CONCLUSION: ED was high in our study population. Diabetes mellitus, anxiety and household income were significantly associated with ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate trends in the disparities in output and income across the states of Malaysia during the past four decades, using several different methods - including the log-t test proposed by Phillips and Sul (2007, 2009) - and data for a range of variables. The results indicate that output (GDP) per capita at the state level generally diverged over the study period, although there was convergence within each of the three statistically identifiable "clubs". By contrast, disparities with regard to average household income for Malaysian citizens appear to have decreased generally across all the states as a group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being old is often associated with poverty, as a result of limited access to financial resources due to retirement or deterioration in health. The high incidence of poverty among the elderly is a global concern. How much the elderly have is important but how they use what they have is equally important. This paper focuses on financial practice and problems of the elderly in Malaysia. Data used in the analysis were collected in 2004 from among 2,327 elderly aged between 55 and 75 years. Samples were selected using multi stage systematic sampling. Financial practice was measured using 12 statements representing four dimensions, namely, planning, cash management, credit and investment. Financial problems were measured using seven items with two dimensions, namely, daily problems and credit management. In general, the elderly in the study performed basic financial practice (planning and cash management) but a lower percentage of these elderly performed credit and investment plans. About one third of elderly had experienced at least one of the seven financial problems listed. Multiple regression analysis conducted to explore the factors explaining variation in financial practice revealed that the model explained 20.7% variation in the financial practice score. The variable significantly explained the variations in the financial practice score were gender, age, region, ethnicity, education, home ownership, health perception, and income. A further research is needed to better understand the dynamic of financial practice among the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares early employment outcomes (in terms of income levels and job satisfaction) of Malaysian graduates educated locally with those educated abroad (specifically in US and UK). Factors likely to be related to these outcomes were identified by a comprehensive literature study. A regression model was developed containing the factors identified above. Questionnaire responses from over 400 recent Malaysian graduates were incorporated into the model. Model results show a significant relationship between income levels and gender, duration of employment, self-esteem, ownership, academic major and English proficiency. Surprisingly, location of study was not statistically significant. Furthermore, location of study was not significantly related to job satisfaction either. However job-fit index, self esteem, income and satisfaction with the University were found to bear significant relationships with job satisfaction. The policy implication of these findings were explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a larger ethnographic study of Bidayuh women who are a group of minority indigenous women in the Malaysian stat of Sarawak. The paper discusses women's entry into paid work and life-course squeezes. As the women earned a mere 39 per cent of their husbands' monthly wages even though they had the same years of schooling if not more than their husbands, the women's views on work and marriage are examined. The paper also explores the feminist question as to whether women's employment increases their personal autonomy and independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss a number of hypotheses about motives for intergenerational transfers within the family. We use data on time and money transfers between generations in Malaysia, where there is neither Social Security nor Medicare, to explore these hypotheses empirically. We find evidence supporting the hypotheses that children are an important source of old age security and that old age security is, in part, children's repayment for parental investments in their education. This repayment is partly a function of the children's income and, in the case of females, a function of their spouse's income. We also find evidence supporting the hypotheses that parents and children engage in the exchange of time help for money.

"Urban concentration (or primacy) and inequality (in size distribution of income) are expected to follow bell shaped curves through the development process. Spatial convergence (through investments in transportation etc.) is expected to precede income convergence. Using longitudinal data from six Asian countries (Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India) this paper shows that (i) the bell shapes for urban concentration and income inequality generally hold, and (ii) the temporal relationship between the curve peaks is determined by geographical factors (for urban concentration); income inequality is seen to be more policy amenable.", (excerpt)

Introduction: As the rate of end-stage kidney disease rises, there is an urgent need to consider the catastrophic health expenditure of post-transplantation care. Even a small amount of out-of-pocket payment for healthcare can negatively affect households' financial security. This study aims to determine the association between socioeconomic status and the prevalence of catastrophic health expenditure in post-transplantation care. Method: A multi-centre cross-sectional survey was conducted in person among 409 kidney transplant recipients in six public hospitals in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Catastrophic health expenditure is considered at 10% out-of-pocket payment from household income used for healthcare expenditure. The association of socioeconomic status with catastrophic health expenditure is determined via multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: 93 kidney transplant recipients (23.6%) incurred catastrophic health expenditures. Kidney transplant recipients in the Middle 40% (RM 4360 to RM 9619 or USD 1085.39 –USD 2394.57) and Bottom 40% (RM 9619 or > USD 2394.57) income group. Kidney transplant recipients in the Bottom 40% and Middle 40% income groups were more susceptible to catastrophic health expenditure at 2.8 times and 3.1 times compared to higher-income groups, even under the care of the Ministry of Health. Conclusion: Universal health coverage in Malaysia cannot address the burden of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure on low-income Kidney transplant recipients for long-term post-transplantation care. Policymakers must reexamine the healthcare system to protect vulnerable households from catastrophic health expenditures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty in small-scale fisheries is a global issue; most of the time, the solution to poverty is discussed through economic variables. Scholars highlight the contribution of social capital factors to the livelihoods of small-scale fishing communities and suggest that social aspects can be used as an alternative solution to reduce poverty. The concept of social capital has been extensively used to explain the relationship between social capital factors and wellbeing. The role of social capital in the well-being of small-scale fisher communities in Malaysia needs to be clarified. The current study investigates the contribution of various livelihood assets to the household income of small-scale fishers in Malaysia. Data for the survey were collected from 182 respondents from across multiple fishing villages on Langkawi Island, off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, using a structured questionnaire. The partial least square (PLS) technique was applied for statistical analysis. The study’s empirical findings depict that social capital, trust, job experience, and financial capital are important factors contributing to fishers' household income. The results show that the contribution of social capital and trust factors are significant to household income, indicating that social factors are essential in improving the well-being of small-scale fisher households in Malaysia. Policy for livelihood improvement of small-scale fisheries in Malaysia needs to prioritise investments in financial, human, natural and physical capital assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic had forced economies to implement movement restrictions that resulted in income shock to households. This study aims to gauge the impact of income shock due to movement control order (MCO). This study examined the factors that affect Malaysian household financial self-efficacy due to movement restrictions. A survey was conducted online from 1 April 2020 to 30 June 2020 to gather responses from households. Data collected were analysed using the KMO sampling adequacy test, Bartlett's test, reliability, and factor analysis. More than 46% of the respondents' income was significantly decreased or somewhat decreased due to MCO. Financial tools, lifestyle adaptation, contingency plan and realisation of the impact of MCO had significantly affected household financial efficacy. Merebaknya pandemi covid-19 telah memaksa perekonomian menerapkan pembatasan pergerakan yang mengakibatkan guncangan pendapatan bagi sektor rumah tangga. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengukur dampak guncangan pendapatan akibat Movement Control Order (MCO). Penelitian ini mengkaji faktorfaktor yang mempengaruhi efikasi diri keuangan sektor rumah tangga di Malaysia akibat pembatasan gerak. Survei dilakukan secara online dari 1 April 2020 hingga 30 Juni 2020 untuk mengumpulkan tanggapan dari sektor rumah tangga. Data yang terkumpul dianalisis menggunakan uji kecukupan sampel KMO, uji Bartlett, reliabilitas, dan analisis faktor. Lebih dari 46% pendapatan responden menurun secara signifikan atau agak menurun karena MCO. Alat keuangan, adaptasi gaya hidup, rencana kontinjensi dan realisasi dampak MCO secara signifikan mempengaruhi keberhasilan keuangan sektor rumah tangga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in low- and middle-income countries, information on the estimation of 10-year CVD risk remains to be sparse. Therefore, this study was aimed at predicting the 10-year CVD risk among community dwellers in Malaysia and at identifying the association of distal (socioeconomic characteristics) and proximal (lifestyle practices) factors with 10-year CVD risk. We calculated the 10-year CVD risk score among 11,897 eligible respondents from the community health survey conducted by the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) using the Framingham risk score (FRS). The findings indicate that 28% of respondents have a high chance of having CVD within the next ten years. After adjusting for the age of respondents, demographic and socioeconomic factors such as gender, ethnicity, marital status, education, income, and occupation had an association with the 10-year CVD risk. In addition, frequent eating out had an association with 10-year CVD risk, while physical activity was found to have no association with predicted CVD risk. CVD remained among the top five mortality causes in Malaysia. Health promotion strategies should emphasize the importance of having home-cooked meals as a healthy dietary behavior, to reduce the mortality rate among Malaysians due to CVDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine secular trends and sociodemographic determinants of thinness, overweight and obesity among Malaysian children and adolescents from 2006 to 2015. Design: We used cross-sectional data from the National Health and Morbidity Surveys 2006, 2011 and 2015. Individuals were classified into pre- (6–9 years), early (10–13 years) and mid- (14–17 years) adolescence. BMI status was determined according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and WHO criteria, using measured height and weight. We analysed trends using log-binomial regression, by sex-age groups, stratified by sociodemographic factors (ethnicity, residential area, household size and household income), and accounting for the complex survey design. Associations between sociodemographic factors and prevalence of thinness and overweight (obesity included) in 2015 were assessed using log-Poisson regression. Setting: Nationwide population-based surveys, Malaysia. Participants: Eligible 6–17-year-olds from urban and rural residential areas (n 28 094). Results: The prevalence of thinness decreased from 2006 to 2015 (IOTF: boys from 22 % to 18 %, girls from 23 % to 19 %; WHO: boys from 9 % to 7 %, girls from 8 % to 6 %), while the prevalence of overweight increased (IOTF: boys from 20 % to 26 %, girls from 19 % to 24 %; WHO: boys from 25 % to 31 %, girls from 22 % to 27 %). These changes were statistically significant in most sex-age groups. Thinness and overweight co-existed in all sociodemographic subgroups, with variation in the prevalence estimates, but similar secular changes in most subgroups. Conclusions: Malaysia is facing a double burden of malnutrition at population level with a secular increase in overweight and obesity and a gradual decrease in thinness among 6–17-year-olds from varying sociodemographic backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Race-based preferential policies have been employed in the United States and other countries such as Malaysia, South Africa, Brazil, and India to foster economic development among economically marginalized ethnic groups. This research applies a two-player signaling model to help understand labor-market effects of race-based preferential policies used in college admissions. The model shows that in the context of imperfect information in the labor market, purely race-based forms of preferential policies in college admissions are likely to lead to statistical discrimination by future employers, reducing the equilibrium wage of targeted minority groups for both college graduates and non-college graduates. In addition, average wages of the targeted group remain unchanged in the model, with the targeted group being worse off to the extent that educational signaling is costly. In conclusion, the paper argues that race-base preferences cannot substitute for policies and programs that genuinely address imbalances in college preparation between ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Anxiety is prevalent among women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), which is associated with coping strategies and bio-psychosocial risk factors. This study aims to predict socioeconomic status (SES) and obstetric factors towards anxiety and stress-coping strategy, and to explore the significant differences in levels of anxiety on each coping strategy. Design: It was a cross-sectional survey in the Malaysian context. Methods: Forty women medically diagnosed with HG were recruited and completed Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) to assess generalized anxiety disorder and coping scale inventory using the Brief COPE questionnaire. Results: The employment status of pregnant women diagnosed with HG significantly predicted their anxiety. Household income and education level predicted emotion-focused coping strategies. None of the obstetric factors predicted the coping strategy. A significant difference was found across anxiety levels in problem-focused and dysfunctional coping strategies. The post-hoc test reveals that dysfunctional coping has the highest mean score in the severe anxiety category. Conclusion: It is essential to promote awareness about effective coping strategies for pregnant women who are diagnosed with HG. Greater efforts are needed to increase the duty of care among healthcare providers to propagate holistic and resourceful coping management with the HG that could help potential patients in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Community‐Based Rehabilitation (CBR) services under the Malaysian Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development have provided two types of services for disabled children: centre‐based and home‐based care since 1984. A cross‐sectional study was conducted among parents and caregivers with children receiving treatment at CBRs on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, to determine the level of satisfaction with the services provided. Respondents were recruited via multi‐staged sampling, and simple randomisation at CBR level. Respondents self‐administered the Physical Therapy Satisfaction Questionnaire (PTSQ) and provided sociodemographic data. A total of 297 respondents were recruited and all the questionnaires were returned complete, making the response rate 100%. Total satisfaction scores and factors influencing respondents' satisfaction for both groups were analysed. The mean total satisfaction score for centre‐based and home‐based were 84.69 (SD = 10.01) and 75.30 (SD = 12.23; t = 7.160, p ≤.001) respectively. Ninety‐eight per cent of centre‐based and 89% of home‐based respondents were satisfied with the current services. There were significantly mean differences in the satisfaction level of respondents of different states respectively (Kelantan mean 84.92 10.83, Terengganu mean 77.49 11.16 and Pahang mean 77.47 12.93, p ≤.001). Factors associated with satisfaction were education (p =.002), occupation (p = <0.001), monthly income (p =.001) and source of income (p =.001). In conclusion, majority of parents and caregivers were satisfied with current services provided at CBR and satisfaction with services was dependent on CBR centre location and education and financial earning capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Currently, Malaysia uses the Poverty Line Income (PLI) to measure poverty. This is because income measurement is the easiest way to collect data, but in its simplicity, it fails to capture the broader meaning and implications of poverty. Asset index is one of the non-monetary poverty measurements which have been established by researchers but not used in measuring poverty in Malaysia. A household might be poor in income, but assets may prevent them from being trapped in poverty. Design/methodology/approach: This study will reassess the poverty of 302 households in the Northern States of Malaysia using the asset index and also the current state of poverty incidence with change under asset index. Findings: The results show that households in the Northern States of Malaysia are interpreted as being 'poorer' when poverty is measured using assets as opposed to income alone. Besides that, poverty incidence of Malay households, households living in urban area and households with middle-aged heads have high poverty incidence, while households with a head of households that is single and highly educated have low poverty incidence. The logistic regression analysis shows that the determinants of poverty incidence based on the asset index are Indian, Penang and Perak State, the age of the head of household, distance to the education centre from home. Originality/value: This study shows the asset index measurement which have not been done in Malaysia. This will contribute to the improvement of poverty measurement of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the dimensions of multidimensional poverty as well as quality of life is access to healthcare services. Lower income households are often associated with poorer health conditions, making accessibility to healthcare even more important. Nonetheless, in accessing healthcare services, this group of households often faces more significant personal, financial and structural barriers compared to families from higher income groups. This study focuses on structural barrier from socio-demographic factors that affects access to public clinics among the urban poor. The respondents of this study were residents of Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) in Kuala Lumpur. Questionnaires were distributed to 585 respondents selected systematically from 30 PPRs. The results from the regression estimates that urban poor who are married, divorced, the spouse has passed away with monthly income less than RM 1000 are facing higher structural barrier in accessing the public clinics. Government is suggested to increase the operation hour of the public clinics as well as making effort to set up mobile kiosk clinic for urban poor live far and cannot reach the public clinics in their areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Building healthy eating habit is essential for all people. School and family are the prime institutions to instill this habit during early age. This study is aimed at understanding the impact of family such as parents’ educations and incomes on building students’ healthy eating habits. Methods: A survey on building students’ eating habits was conducted among primary school students of grade 4 (11 years) and 5 (12 years) from Kulim district, Malaysia. Data from 318 respondents were analysed. Descriptive statistics were used to find the present scenario of their knowledge, attitude and practices towards their eating habits while one-way ANOVA and independent sample t-test were used to find the differences between their practices based on students’ gender, parents’ educations and incomes. Results: The study finds that the students have a good knowledge of types of healthy food but yet their preferences are towards the unhealthy food. Though the students’ gender and parents’ educations are not found significantly related to students’ knowledge, attitude and practices towards healthy eating habits, parents’ incomes have significant influence on promoting the healthy eating habit. Discussion: Findings of this study can be useful to guide parents in healthy food choices and suggest them to be models to their children in building healthy eating habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to articulate juristic mechanisms by which Islamic banks in Malaysia can purge the unlawful income from their assets. An Islamic bank being a modern corporate entity when dealing with people of diverse cultures and conventional business entities, at times, feels the pressure of not being able to stay away from transactions tainted with haram. Islamic banks as a matter of principle should not involve themselves in any unlawful business activities in the process of which they can procure unlawful incomes. A question of how Islamic banks in Malaysia should treat such incomes, both classical and contemporary jurists have proposed their own set of juristic methods. This study recommends the Islamic banks to address the importance of undertaking the purification process of haram income according to Shari'ah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Overweight and obesity is a major public health problem in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the Malaysian adult population and their association with socio-demographic characteristics (gender, ethnic, and age groups). Methods A total of 17,257 adults aged 18 years and older (8,252 men, 9,005 women) were assessed for BMI status, with a response rate of 97.8%, through a household survey from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), conducted in all states of Malaysia in 2011. Results All socio-demographic factors were consistently associated with higher chance of being overweight (except gender and location) and obesity (except location and household income). The identified risk of overweight were Indian (aOR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2-2.8), aged 50-59 years (aOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 2.0-3.9), widower (aOR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.3-2.0), subject with secondary education (aOR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0-1.4), Homemaker/unpaid worker (aOR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.4), and with high household income group (aOR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.2-1.6). The identified risk of obesity were women (aOR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.2-1.6), Indian (aOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 0.9-3.2), aged 30-39 years (aOR: 3.6, 95% CI: 2.4-5.5), widower (aOR: 1.2, 95% CI: 0.9-1.6), subjects with primary education (aOR: 1.2, 95% CI: 0.9-1.6), Homemaker/unpaid worker (aOR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.6), and with middle household income group (aOR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.2-1.6). Conclusions Our data indicate a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the population. Several sociodemographic characteristics are associated with both overweight and obesity. This study highlights the serious problem of overweight and obesity among Malaysia adults. Documentation of these problems may lead to research and policy agendas that will contribute both to our understanding and to the reduction of these problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to analyse the impact of non-farm income on poverty and the time taken to escape from the clutches of poverty. The data used in this study is primary data which is gathered through a survey carried out on 384 agricultural households in Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia. A face to face interview was carried out with selected respondents between the months of April and December 2008. In order to analyse the impact of non-farm income on poverty, this study used a FGT index as proposed by Foster, Greer and Thorbecke while in the case of measuring the impact of non-farm income to the time taken to escape from the clutches of poverty, we used an index proposed by Morduch. The advantage of using these two indexes is that it will enable us to examine the impact of non-farm income to poverty reduction and the impact of different income growth on the time taken to escape from poverty for both groups with and without non-farm income. As such, the question of whether a non-farm income can shorten the duration of poverty or not will be answered. The results show that non-farm income reduces the poverty rate by 42.94%, the poverty gap by 51.47% and the severity of poverty by 55.72%. The results for the time taken to escape from the clutches of poverty shows that for farmers who have income from non-farm sources, the average time taken is shorter than those who do not have a non-farm income. For instance, assuming a growth rate of 6.5% in household income, it will take an average 8.57 years for farmers with a non-farm income to escape from poverty. However, with the same rate of growth in income, farmers without non-farm income will take an average 10.74 years to escape from poverty. These results indicate that having a non-farm income reduces the duration of poverty by 2.17 years. Our study also found that in the case of the hard core poor, the average time taken by them to escape from poverty is shortened by 1.44 years when they participate in non-farm activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs a cross-sectional design with stratified random sampling method to examine if the microcredit programme of the Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) improves the income of hardcore poor households. This study uses a quasi-experimental approach and selected control and treatment group members from AIM's client's base -- new and old clients respectively. It is evident that the AIM's microcredit programme increased the household's income and reduced the poverty rate among their hardcore poor clients in Peninsular Malaysia. Findings of the study indicate the effectiveness of microcredit in eradicating poverty. This programme should, therefore, focus on diversifying their products and services in order to increase outreach and decrease inactive borrowers and dropouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated socio-demographic factors and product attributes affecting purchase decision of special rice by Malaysian consumer. The primary data were analyzed by using binary logit model. Demographic factors and consumer preference for special rice (with reference to basmati rice) attributes were identified to affect purchasing behavior for special rice. Size of household, marital status, number of children, household income and gender of consumers are the main socio-demographic factors that significantly influence households' choices of special rice for home consumption in the Klang Valley area. The findings also suggest that product attributes such as flavor and aroma, availability, brand name and quality also influence the frequent purchasing of Basmati rice among the Malaysian consumers. However price and easy preparation are not significant in influencing the frequent purchasing of Basmati rice since most consumers are aware that special rice such as Basmati is expensive and all rice has to be prepared in a usual way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaysia has been experiencing an escalation in dengue cases since the past 5 years. As the dengue vaccine pipeline continues to develop steadily with strong public interests, this study had been sought to elicit the acceptance and the willingness to pay (WTP) for hypothetical dengue vaccine in Malaysia. Methods: This study adopted the cross-sectional, contingent valuation study that involved 400 respondents in Penang, Malaysia. The double-bounded dichotomous choice via bidding game approach was employed to elicit the WTP value for two hypothetical 3-doses dengue vaccines (Vaccines A and B with 5- and 10-years' protection, respectively against dengue). A univariate logistic regression model was employed to assess the key determinants of vaccine acceptance, while the mean WTP value and its associated factors were measured by using the parametric two-part model (TPM). Results: Dengue vaccine appeared to be highly acceptable (88.4%) among the population in Penang, Malaysia. Respondents who were of Chinese ethnicity (OR 0.36, p = 0.017), with higher dengue knowledge score (OR 1.43, p = 0.016), and higher vaccination attitude score (OR 1.91, p < 0.001) were more likely to accept the vaccine. The first step logit estimation from TPM displayed that pensioners (OR 2.37, p = 0.036), respondents who were self-employed or working in the private sector (OR 1.21, p = 0.002), respondents with higher education level (OR 2.09–3.29, p < 0.05), and those who accepted the vaccine (OR 3.23, p = 0.001) were more likely to pay for the vaccine. The adjusted mean WTP value for the vaccine was MYR39.21 (USD9.45) per dose. Next, the second-stage regression from TPM revealed the key factors that significantly affected the WTP value, which were composed of age, gender, occupation, household income, dengue prevention practice, and protection duration of the vaccine. The pensioners and those with better dengue prevention practice were willing to pay more for the vaccines. Additionally, all the respondents elicited a higher WTP amount toward the vaccine with longer protection duration (Vaccine B). Conclusion: Strong acceptance toward dengue vaccine reflects the high value of the vaccine in Malaysia. The WTP estimates offer quantification of the private benefit in reducing occurrences of the disease. Besides, the people's preferences-based WTP value for the vaccine tends to complement scientific decision-making and prioritization in the management of dengue in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]