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Being overweight and obese during childhood increases the potential of becoming obese adults later in life. Therefore, this study aims to determine the factors associated with overweight (including obesity) among children under five years of age in Putrajaya, Malaysia. A total of 211 children with overweight cases were successfully recruited in this case-control study. The same number for control group which was normal children also being recruited by matching according to sex and age group with the case group. Data collection was performed by four approaches such as face-to-face interview, anthropometric measurements, finger prick for haemoglobin level and self-administered 3-day food diary. WHO Anthro software was used to determine the nutritional status of children. Descriptive statistic and logistic regression were performed to determine risk factors that contributed to overweight. Multiple logistic regressions showed overweight or obese father was 1.88 times more likely to have overweight children compared to normal BMI father. Mothers who had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were 2.93 times more likely to have overweight children compared to those with no complication during pregnancy. Pregnant women who attended antenatal visits for less than 9 times were 3.33 times more likely to have overweight children compared to pregnant women who attended 9 to 14 times of antenatal visits. Children with fewer siblings were 2.10 times more likely to be overweight compared to children with four or more siblings. These findings indicated related risks factors contributing to childhood overweight from the early stages including maternal and paternal factors. Early life intervention especially during pregnancy stages which include antenatal care and antenatal intervention on dietary and physical activity during peri-conception period is seen to be important to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes and further improve maternal and child’s health. Hence it would be more effective to prevent childhood overweight or obesity in later age and its long-term consequences.

Background Studies have shown that having away from home meals contributes to high sodium intake among young people and those who lived in urban areas. This study aimed to determine the association between dietary sodium intake, body mass index, and away from home meal consumption behaviour among Malaysian adults. Methods MyCoSS was a cross-sectional household survey involving 1440 adults age 18 years and above. This study utilized stratified cluster sampling to obtain a nationally representative sample. Data was collected between October 2017 and March 2018. Socio-demographic information, dietary assessment using food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and away from home meal consumption were assessed through a face-to-face interview by trained health personnel. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were applied to identify the association of socioeconomic status and away from home meal consumption with dietary sodium intake. Results A total of 1032 participants completed the FFQ, with a mean age of 48.8 + 15.6 years. Based on the FFQ, slightly over half of the participants (52.1%) had high sodium intake. Results showed that 43.6% of participants consumed at least one to two away from home meals per day, while 20.8% of them had their three main meals away from home. Participants aged less than 30 years old were the strongest predictor to consume more sodium (adjusted OR: 3.83; 95%CI: 2.23, 6.58) while those of Indian ethnicity had significantly lower sodium intake. Surprisingly, having three away from home meals per day was not associated with high dietary sodium intake, although a significant association (crude OR; 1.67, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.35) was found in the simple logistic regression. Obese participants were less likely to have high dietary sodium intake compared with the normal BMI participants in the final model. Conclusion Over half of the participants consumed sodium more than the recommended daily intake, especially those who consumed three away from home meals. However, there was no significant association between high sodium intake and having three away from home meals per day. The promotion of healthy cooking methods among the public must continue to be emphasized to reduce the dietary sodium intake among Malaysian adults.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of underweight, wasting and stunting in children less than five years and to determine its associations with socioeconomic factors using nationally representative data. Study Design: Stratified random sampling was used in the study. Structured questionnaire with face-to-face interview was used for data collection. Method: A total of 11,845 living quarters were selected with eligibility of the mothers aged 15-49 years with last childbirth less than two years prior and their children aged below five years. The WHO growth standards were applied to classify malnutrition (World Health Organization, 2006), as follows: Underweight (weight-forage

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