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Introduction: Adolescent aggression is an important public health concern with escalating prevalence of juvenile cases and violence among these age groups including robbery, homicide, and gang fights. The objectives of this study protocol are to determine the biopsychosocial predictors and explore the contextual factors of adolescent aggression among secondary school students in Hulu Langat. Methods: Explanatory mixed method study design will be used, consist of quantitative cross-sectional study followed by basic qualitative study. Proportionate population sampling among Form 4 secondary school students from selected public secondary schools in Hulu Langat will be executed. Questionnaires will be distributed to 481 students on aggression as the dependent variable, and several independent variables: demographic (ethnicity, family income), biological (sex, head injury, nutritional deficiency, breakfast skipping), psychological (attitude and normative beliefs, personality trait, emotional intelligence), and social factors (family environment, single parent status, domestic violence, peer deviant affiliation, alcohol, smoking, substance abuse). Subsequently, participants with moderate to high aggression scores will be further explored on the contextual factors of adolescent aggression by in-depth interview. Multiple linear regression will be executed using SPSS to determine significant predictors whereas thematic analysis will be applied for qualitative data analysis on the context of adolescent aggression. Both findings will be further integrated and discussed to give comprehensive description on the phenomena. Conclusion: Better knowledge and understanding on adolescent aggression may generate new framework to drive more effective preventive strategies and unravel adolescent aggressive related Public Health problems.

Aggression is one of the most common Paediatric Psychiatric emergency problems presented in healthcare services with major public health impacts. The aim of this review is to determine the psychosocial predictors of adolescent aggression. Systematic review on observational study designs were conducted. Recent five years English published journal articles (2014-2018) were searched in three databases (Science Direct, PubMed and EBSCO) from April 2018 until May 2018. The final 15 articles (seven prospective cohort, eight cross-sectional studies) were included in the systematic review. Psychological predictors were mainly on the personality traits and emotional problems experienced by the adolescents including callous-unemotional traits, hostility, anger, and low empathy. Self-control was found to be protective against adolescent aggression. Social predictors that contribute to the aggression among adolescents according to the highest reported number of articles were peer influence, followed by school climate, substance use, neighbourhood influence, family, and parent factors. In conclusion, psychosocial predictors of adolescent aggression include both Psychological Factors; mainly personality traits and emotional problems, and Social Factors; mainly peer influence and substance use. This warrants for more holistic approach in dealing with aggressive adolescents that can be applied in more targeted and focused intervention strategy deliveries.

Introduction: Childhood obesity becomes a global epidemic with the majority are living in developing countries. Obese children are at risk of becoming obese adults with non-communicable diseases, which may further lead to huge economic burden for the affected countries. The study objectives were to determine the biosocial background contributing overweight and obesity among preschoolers in Putrajaya (2017) - sociodemographic, pre-and perinatal factors, feeding and weaning practices. Methods: Cross-sectional study was performed using cluster random sampling among 897 preschoolers, whose anthropometric body weights and heights were measured. The calculated BMI was used to determine their obese status based on WHO Growth Standards 2006 and Reference 2007. Their mothers were distributed with self-administered, validated, and pre-tested questionnaires regarding their children’s first two-years-of-life experience. Chi Square test was used for bivariate categorical analysis, Independent T-test and Mann Whitney U test for continuous data analysis. Multivariate binary logistic regression was executed to determine predictors of child obesity. Results: The prevalence of obese children was 7.4%, which can be predicted by the increase in child’s age (Adjusted Odd Ratio: 2.619; 95%CI: 1.435 – 4.780), mothers with higher level of education (AOR: 3.896; 95%CI: 1.127 – 13.470), and higher maternal BMI (AOR: 1.132; 95%CI: 1.057 – 1.213). Conclusion: Three predictors of child obesity can be derived from sociodemographic and pre-and perinatal factors. Further application on these predictors in more targeted interventions and policies need to be considered to reduce the prevalence of obesity and related non-communicable diseases in the country.

Background: Childhood obesity is becoming a global epidemic in this new era. According to WHO, the number of overweight children under the age of five in 2014 worldwide is estimated to be over 42 million and more than 70% of them are living in developing countries. Similar problem faced in Malaysia as being labelled as the fattest population in South East Asia. Objectives: To determine the early life factors that contribute to childhood overweight and obesity among preschoolers in Putrajaya in 2017, which include sociodemographic factors, pre-and perinatal factors, infant feeding and weaning practices, early child care, family structure and parental behaviors, and psychosocial factors. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted by cluster random sampling among 897 preschool students from all registered preschools in Putrajaya. Anthropometry measurements of body weight and height measurements were performed on the preschoolers and questionnaires were distributed to the mothers. Calculated BMI was used to determine child’s overweight and obesity status following BMI-for-age z-scores of WHO Growth Standards 2006 and WHO Growth Reference 2007. Results: The sample comprised of 897 children, with a mean age of 5.4 ± 0.58 years. The prevalence of overweight and obese children was 7.3%, which can be predicted with elder child’s age (AOR: 2.595; 95%CI: 1.281 – 5.254), higher mother’s education level (AOR: 4.909; 95%CI: 1.065 – 22.621), higher maternal BMI (AOR: 1.122; 95%CI: 1.034 – 1.219), and unknown caregiver’s education status (AOR: 2.907; 95%CI: 1.144 – 7.386). Conclusion: Four early life factors can be predicted with childhood overweight and obesity among preschoolers in Putrajaya, which included in three domain of early life factors of socio-demographic, pre-and perinatal, and early childcare.