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The industrial revolution and urbanization fundamentally restructured populations' living circumstances, often with poor impacts on health. As an example, unhealthy food establishments may concentrate in some neighborhoods and, mediated by social and commercial drivers, increase local health risks. To understand the connections between neighborhood food environments and public health, researchers often use geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial statistics to analyze place-based evidence, but such tools require careful application and interpretation. In this article, we summarize the factors shaping neighborhood health in relation to local food environments and outline the use of GIS methodologies to assess associations between the two. We provide an overview of available data sources, analytical approaches, and their strengths and weaknesses. We postulate next steps in GIS integration with forecasting, prediction, and simulation measures to frame implications for local health policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Households are a significant venue for the transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2. We conducted a study to characterise the transmission dynamics and identify risk factors for household transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Methods: This retrospective observational study included 185 families of paediatric COVID‐19 cases from 1 February 2020 to 31 December 2020. We identified the index case for each household and gathered the socio‐demographic, epidemiological investigation results and risk factors for household transmission from medical case records. The secondary attack rate was calculated, and logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with secondary household transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2. Results: Of the 848 household contacts, 466 acquired secondary infections, resulting in a secondary attack rate of 55%. The median age of the secondary cases was 12 years. Female household contacts and household contacts who slept in the same room with the index case were significantly associated with increased risk for COVID‐19. Other independent risk factors associated with higher transmission risk in the household included an index case who was symptomatic, a household index case aged greater than 18 years and a male household index case. Conclusions: High rates of household transmission of COVID‐19 were found, indicating households were a major setting of transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2. Our data provide insight into the risk factors for household transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Distinguishing attributes of stroke subtypes is crucial to establish appropriate planning for patient care and preventive measures. This study aims to compare the associations among demographic characteristics, risk factors, clinical manifestations, and outcomes of different stroke subtypes in a Malaysian stroke-ready hospital. Methods: The study utilized data that were collected from the local hospital-based stroke database, which is part of the Perai Regional Integrated Stroke Intervention System. The database is representative of the population in mainland Penang. All confirmed local ischaemic stroke (IS) and haemorrhagic stroke (HS) cases aged 18 years and above admitted to Hospital Seberang Jaya from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2019 were included. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. Results: There was a total of 1,805 patients with 1,572 (87.1%) IS patients and 233 (12.9%) HS patients. The mean (SD) age for IS patients was 62.75 (12.08) and 60.51 (13.65) for HS patients. Generally, there were more male than female patients: 957 (60.9%) male IS patients and 137 (58.8%) male HS patients. A significantly higher proportion of IS patients were aged ≥60 years old (59.9%, p=0.021), of Indian origin (15.5%, p=0.034), had diabetes (51.2%, p<0.001), hyperlipidaemia (17.8%, p<0.001), ischaemic heart disease (10.9%, p=0.011) and were smokers (54.2%, p=0.028) as compared to HS patients. The proportion of IS patients who exhibited hemiparesis (76.0%, p=0.012) and speech disturbances (54.8%, p=0.015) was higher than HS patients. Most IS patients ranged from no disability to moderate disability (65.3%, p<0.001) with a length of stay in the hospital of ≤ 7 days (77.6%, p<0.001). Conclusion: Significant differences were observed on risk factors between IS and HS. IS was linked mainly with hemiparesis and speech disturbances, whereas HS patients mainly exhibited headaches, nausea and vomiting, altered sensorium, and seizures, in addition to more severe stroke and poor outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Malaysia undergoes a demographic transformation of population aging, the prevalence of dementia is expected to rise, posing a major public health threat issue. Early screening to detect cognitive impairment is important to implement appropriate clinical interventions. The Visual Cognitive Assessment Test (VCAT) is a language-neutral cognitive assessment screening tool suitable for multilingual populations. This study was aimed to validate the VCAT screening tool for the detection of cognitive impairment amongst the population of Malaysia. A total of 184 participants were recruited, comprising 79 cognitively healthy participants (CHP), 46 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, and 59 mild dementia (Alzheimer's disease and Vascular Dementia) patients from five hospitals between May 2018 and December 2019 to determine the usefulness of VCAT. Diagnostic performance was assessed using area under the curve (AUC), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysies was performed to determine the recommended cutoff scores. ROC analyses for the VCAT was comparable with that of MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) in differentiating between CHP, MCI, and mild dementia (AD and VaD) participants. The findings of this study suggest the following optimal cutoff score for VCAT: Dementia 0-19, MCI 20-23, Normal 24-30. Themean ± SD time to complete the VCATwas 10.0 ± 2.75 min in the CHP group and 15.4 ± 4.52 min in the CI group. Results showed that 76.0% of subjects thought that the instructions in VCAT were similar or easier to understand compared with MoCA. This study showed that the VCAT is a valid and useful screening tool for patients with cognitive impairment in Malaysia and is feasible to be used in the clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Eating habits have been a major concern among university students as a determinant of health status. The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of eating habits and its associated social and psychological factors among medical students. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted among 132 medical students of pre-clinical phase at a Malaysian university. A self-administered questionnaire was used which included questions on socio-demography, anthropometry, eating habits and psychosocial factors. Results Mean (±SD) age of the respondents was 22.7 (±2.4) years and (the age) ranged from 18 to 30 years. More than half had regular meals and breakfast (57.6% &, 56.1% respectively). Majority (73.5%) consumed fruits less than three times per week, 51.5% had fried food twice or more a week and 59.8% drank water less than 2 liters daily. Eating habits score was significantly low among younger students (18–22 years), smokers, alcohol drinkers and those who did not exercise. (ppp Conclusion Most of the students in this study had healthy eating habits. Social and psychological factors were important determinants of eating habits among medical students.