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The Psychological Strain Scale (PSS) has been widely used in various populations to assess the risks of suicidality and mental disorders. The current study aims to shorten the original 40-item scale and test its psychometric properties. Data were derived from three samples in China: (1) undergraduate students (n = 10,742), (2) non-medical office employees (n = 1044), and (3) hospital workers (n = 949). A questionnaire was administered to the samples at about the same time of the year 2017. Data were randomly divided into Sub-study 1 (70% of the sample) and Sub-study 2 (30% of the sample). In Sub-study 1, principal component analyses were run and five items with the highest factor loadings within each subscale were retained, resulting in a 20-item PSS scale. Cronbach's α estimates were above 0.70. In Sub-study 2, confirmatory factor analyses for the three samples revealed RMSEA values below 0.10, PNFI values below 0.50 for all samples, and CFI, TLI and NFI values above 0.90 for the student and non-medical office employee samples, but the hospital worker sample had a TLI of 0.88. The PSS-20 and its subscales were significantly associated with past-year suicidal ideation. The PSS-20 has acceptable psychometric properties but requires further testing in university students and hospital workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many possibilities for noise exposure in industrial workplaces, including sectors that extensively use heavy machinery in processing each product. Various studies indicate a causal relationship between noise exposure and auditory/nonauditory effects among workers. Noise exposure poses risks to health and workers' hearing acuity and safety. This review paper aims to identify and summarize occupational noise exposure by examining the auditory and nonauditory effects among mill workers. The mills included in the study are palm oil, lumber, textiles, rice, sugarcane, flour, paper, and sawmills. A two-step methodology was used to achieve the aims of this narrative review. The literature search was conducted by gathering PubMed and Google Scholar papers, focusing on occupational noise in different occupational mill environments. Grey's literature was conducted by screening the worldwide national standard for the laws, guidelines, and other related information based on this topic. A total of 22 articles published have been included. The content of each publication was subsequently summarized. Most of the machine areas within the mills emitted high level of noise. The auditory effects of occupational noise exposure among mill workers were noise-induced hearing loss and hearing impairment. Hypertension, stress, communication disturbance, cardiovascular disease, and headache were the nonauditory effects experienced by workers. The recommendations provided in this review for mitigating noise exposure are derived from the hierarchy of control. Overall, most mill workers are exposed to a high noise level exceeding the standard noise exposure limit. Preventive actions should be taken to address and reduce work-related injuries among mill workers worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood is a critical developmental stage where established dietary patterns can impact lifelong health outcomes. This study investigates dietary patterns and their relationships with sociodemographic factors among Malaysian preschoolers. A total of 643 preschoolers of Malay, Indian, Chinese and other ethnicities participating in South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS II) were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a single triple‐pass 24‐h dietary recall method. Dietary patterns were derived using principal component analysis and their association with sociodemographic factors was determined using complex sampling logistic regressions. Five dietary patterns were identified: "healthy eating," "wholegrains and starchy vegetables," "high salt and sugar," "Western food," and "sugary drinks and legumes". Having older siblings was inversely associated with a "healthy eating" pattern (adjusted OR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.33–0.87). Malay ethnicity was associated with higher odds of adhering to the "high salt and sugar" pattern (adjusted OR: 4.12, 95% CI: 2.20–7.75). Meanwhile, children living in urban areas (adjusted OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.03–3.01), those from middle‐income families (adjusted OR: 3.20, 95% CI: 1.38–7.40) and whose fathers were overweight (adjusted OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.58–4.94) showed a higher association with "Western food" pattern. Conversely, children whose mothers had overweight were less likely to adhere to the "Western food" pattern (adjusted OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.30–0.83). Older age was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of the "sugary drinks and legumes" pattern (adjusted OR: 3.99, 95% CI: 1.75–9.06). There was no significant association between "wholegrains and starchy vegetables" pattern with sociodemographic characteristics (all p > 0.05). These findings suggest that ethnicity, age, residence area, having older siblings, parental weight status and household income level are associated with dietary patterns among multiethnic preschoolers in Malaysia. Thus, these sociodemographic characteristics should be considered when designing targeted dietary strategies and interventions for preschoolers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blended learning resulted in improving learning and student satisfaction. A cross-sectional study was done to determine the perception and attitude of undergraduates among gender, years of study and departments. There are three domain that has been considered which is perception, the concepts of blended learning and the negative impression are explored in this study. A total of 126 students from Year 1 and Year 2 were recruited as respondents from two departments in the university in Kuala Lumpur. Students had high preferences to perception and concepts of blended learning. In terms of perception, there was a significant difference in the departments to blended learning among biomedical and nutrition students. There was a significant difference for domain negative expression and concept of blended learning between department according to the result of multivariate test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents or caregivers of children with learning disabilities have been shown to experience increases in stress and greater negative caregiving consequences than those with typically developing children. The current study sought to assess the perceived stress among Malay caregivers of children with learning disabilities in Kelantan. The Malay version of Perceived Stress Scale 10 items was administered to a sample of 40 caregivers of children with learning disabilities who were registered to five Pusat Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti (PDK) in Kelantan. Higher scores indicate higher levels of stress. The caregivers had mean age of 47.68 (SD = 9.18) years old, of whom 90% were fathers or mothers. Ninety percent of them were married, majority were unemployed or housewives and had secondary school education. The majority of children with learning disabilities were males and half of them were Down Syndrome children. The mean total Perceived Stress Scale score of the caregivers was 16.77 (SD = 5.74). There were no significant associations between total perceived stress score and any of the independent variables. The mean total perceived stress score showed that the perceived stress level was in the category of slightly higher than average and health concern level was high, while the average stress level was between score of 12 to 15. In conclusion, this result indicated that the caregivers had slightly higher levels of stress than the average score, and might increase susceptibility to stress-induced illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pesticide exposure possesses risk of genotoxicity to humans, particularly farmers. Despite accumulating evidences linking genotoxicity to pesticide exposure, epidemiological studies to address pesticide toxicity in occupationally exposed farmers in Malaysia remain underreported. Thus, this study was aimed to determine the presence of nuclear abnormalities through the assessment of micronucleus (MN) and binucleus (BNu) frequencies in exfoliated buccal epithelial cells from farmers who were exposed to pesticides. A crosssectional study of farmers among different agricultural activities farmers in Bachok and Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, North East of Peninsular Malaysia was done to evaluate the presence of nuclear abnormalities and its correlation with their health status and farming activities. Results: Analysis of buccal cells revealed that the frequency of MN was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in farmers as compared to controls. In contrast, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed for BNu frequency in between groups. Correlation analysis showed that apart from a significant (p < 0.05) and positive correlation between the duration of fertilizers exposure and frequencies of MN (r = 0.42, P = 0.001) and BNu (r = 0.37, P = 0.02), no other correlation of various confounding factors on the formation of MN and BNu were observed. Conclusion: In conclusion, pesticide and fertilizers exposure may contribute to the promotion of nuclear anomalies among Malaysian farmers who are engaged in mixed plantation activities. Further assessment of larger populations is important to address and overcome the potential risk of pesticide-induced genotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: School-based smoking cessation intervention programmes are challenging to implement and evaluate. This study aimed to explain the process of developing the Fit and Smart Adolescent Smoking Cessation Programme (FSSCP). Logic model is a visual tool that helps programme planners to create an activity action plan that suits the target group to achieve programme objectives and goals. Methods: This two-arm cluster-randomised controlled trial was implemented between January 2018 and November 2018. Six schools were selected using stratified random sampling, whereby students were purposively selected and invited. The criteria of inclusion to the programme were secondary school students (aged 13 years old-17 years old) who smoked conventional cigarettes (CC) and electronic cigarettes (EC). Results: A total of 422 students from six schools participated in this study. Three schools were designated as intervention (n = 250) and the other three as control schools (n = 172). Formative evaluation of participants in the FSSCP using the logic model showed that participants were satisfied with the overall programme (91.5%), were motivated to stop smoking (90.4%) and were prevented from relapse (89.2%). The quit rate at a 3-month follow-up was 41.8%. Conclusion: The logic model supported the development of the programme, with details on the processes, dissemination activities, identification of barriers, evaluation criteria and outcomes provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary patterns formed during early childhood track into adulthood. Poor dietary patterns during early years may hinder children's normal growth, development, and predispose children to short- or long-term health implications. A posteriori dietary pattern analysis has been extensively used to characterise the overall diet of specific populations, providing valuable insights for targeted nutrition intervention. This review aims to unravel the relationship between dietary patterns and its associated factors among preschool children aged two to six years. Article search was performed using electronic databases including Google Scholar, PubMed (Medline), Web of Science and Scopus. A total of 12 studies were included in the review. The commonly identified dietary patterns among preschool children are made up of unhealthy or lower diet quality foods. Various determinants including sociodemographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics have also been linked with these dietary patterns. Therefore, it is crucial to address these multifactorial determinants when developing healthy eating habits promotion or intervention program at early age to ensure the effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Caregivers of children with learning disabilities have been shown to experience increased stress and greater negative caregiving consequences than those with typically developing children. There remains a lack of studies focusing on stress and coping mechanisms among caregivers of a wider age group and diagnosis of individuals with disabilities in Asian countries. The current study examines levels of perceived stress and associated child and caregiver factors among caregivers of children with learning disabilities in the Malaysian context. An additional aim was to determine whether caregiver coping styles may be predictors of perceived stress. Methods: The Malay version of the Perceived Stress Scale with 10 items and the Brief COPE Scale were administered to a sample of 190 Malay caregivers of children with learning disabilities registered with community-based rehabilitation centres in Kelantan, a state in Peninsular Malaysia. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to determine the predictors of perceived stress. Results: The mean total perceived stress score of caregivers was 16.96 (SD = 4.66). The most frequently used coping styles found among caregivers included religion, acceptance and positive reframing, while substance use and behavioural disengagement were least frequently used. Higher perceived stress was significantly predicted among caregivers with fewer children, frequent use of instrumental support and behavioural disengagement coping, and lack of emotional support and religious coping. Conclusion: Findings indicate that the perceived stress levels among caregivers were significantly predicted by different coping styles. It is vital to help the caregivers improve their good coping styles in order to reduce their stress levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess changes in dietary behaviors among school children in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: A cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of 253 school-aged children from public schools across Jordan. The dietary and lifestyle behavior inventory (DLBI) was developed, incorporating cultural and regional dietary preferences. The questionnaire's validity and reliability were assessed using the content validity index (CVI) and Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to evaluate the underlying factor structure., Results: The DLBI demonstrated excellent content validity with a scale content validity index (S-CVI) of 0.997 and a high level of agreement among expert reviewers (total agreement = 116). Reliability analysis showed high internal consistency for dietary behavior scales, with Cronbach's alpha values exceeding 0.9 for fruit (0.869) and vegetable (0.916) consumption scales. Factor analysis revealed strong associations between dietary behavior variables, with factor loadings ranging from 0.688 to 0.889. The study identified significant reductions in physical activity levels among children, with an average Cronbach's alpha of 0.835 for physical activity-related items. The average time to complete the questionnaire was 15 minutes (SD = 5 minutes), with a completion rate of 45.6%., Conclusions: The validated DLBI is a robust tool for assessing changes in dietary behaviors among school-aged children in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings highlight significant dietary patterns and physical activity shifts, emphasizing the need for targeted nutritional interventions., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ethics Committee of the National University of Malaysia issued approval JEP-2022-590. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Alarsan et al.)