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Aim: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, including Malaysia. In developing countries, predictors affecting breast self-examination (BSE) practice are different. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of BSE practice and the predictors affecting BSE practice among undergraduate female students in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 820 female undergraduate students to assess the BSE performance and related determinants of BSE practice in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Data were collected via a self-administered structured questionnaire that was developed for this study. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 21.7±1.2 years old. Most of them were single (96.8%), Malay (91.9%) and 19.6%of the participants performed BSE regularly. Multivariate logistic regression modeling revealed that BSE performance was more likely among women who have checked their breast with a doctor (odds ratio=2.04, P=0.00), and women who have personal history of breast disease (odds ratio=4.43, P=0.03). Conclusion: The findings showed a low BSE practice rate among young Malaysian women. Hence, the community's breast health awareness is needed to improve breast cancer prevention among young Malaysian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a cross-sectional study conducted among paddy farmers to characterize potential risk factors that influence levels of DNA damage from exposure to mixtures of organophosphates. Comet assay was used to determine the level of DNA damage by measuring the comet tail length from the exfoliated buccal mucosa. The result suggests that farmers who chronically exposure to a mixture of organophosphates has at least 2-fold significant increase of DNA damage as compared with control group. Factor analysis and linear regression both suggest that DNA damage reported by farmers may influence individual, occupational, and residential factors and are reported as significant predictor factors, whereas this effect is mainly caused by individual factors among the control group. The findings of the present study suggest that either farmer or control group bear certain extent of genotoxic burden contributed by different risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies on uptake of first dose of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) are lacking, despite it being a predictor of subsequent doses. This study aimed at assessing the determinants of uptake of first dose of IPTp among pregnant women at the State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which respondents were selected using a systematic random sampling method, and structured questionnaires were used to obtain information from them. Chi-squared test was used to determine factors associated with uptake of first IPTp dose, while a further multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine its predictors.Results: Three hundred and eighty respondents answered the survey, whose ages ranged from 15 to 45 years, and 86.8% were multigravid. Sixty five percent of them were aware of IPTp, and 34.7% believed that IPTp could be harmful to their pregnancies. Over a half of the respondents (52.9%) believed that taking all their IPTp medicines was very good for their pregnancies, while 45.0% felt that taking their IPTp medicines was very pleasant. Only two respondents (0.5%) stated that it was very untrue that their significant others thought that they should take all their IPTp medicines. Half of the respondents said it was very easy for them to take all their IPTp medicines even if they were experiencing mild discomforts while taking them. Less than a half (42.37%) had received their first dose of IPTp. In bivariate as well as multivariate analysis, only higher level of knowledge was significantly associated with uptake of first IPTp dose. Those with better knowledge of IPTp were about twice more likely to have taken their first dose of IPTp, compared to those with lower knowledge of IPTp (AOR = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.17-2.92).Conclusions: Knowledge of IPTp as well as its uptake, were sub-optimal in this study. Since knowledge of IPTp significantly predicts uptake of the first dose of IPTp, there is the need to implement health education campaigns to raise the awareness of pregnant women and their families on the need to receive and comply with it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]