Prevalence of Insomnia and Its Association with Social Media Usage among University Students in Selangor, Malaysia, 2018

Insomnia is an arising common health problem in Malaysia. There are many factors contributed to insomnia in young adults but very few are known. Increasing usage of social media may be one of the contributing factors to insomnia along its association with the sociodemographic factors. The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of insomnia and to study its association with usage of social media and sociodemographic factors among university students. A cross-sectional based questionnaire was conducted among 445 students aged 18-30 years old in a private university in Selangor from July to August 2018. The questionnaire consisted of three parts to assess insomnia, social media usage and some socio-demographic factors. The age of the respondents ranged from 19 to 33 years old and the majority was relatable to insomnia (69%). The frequency of accessing social media was significantly associated with insomnia (p value=0.005). The time of the day of accessing social media mostly was significantly associated as well with insomnia, especially evening (p value=0.02), night time (p value=0.01) and before sleeping time (p value=0.04). The use of gadgets (phones/laptops/tablets) before sleeping at night also showed significant association with insomnia (p value=0.003). The sociodemographic factors (gender, age, race, income, relationship and living status) showed no significant association with insomnia. As a conclusion, the most influential factors that significantly associated to insomnia among students in a private university were the frequency of accessing social media, time of social media usage (the evening, night and before sleeping), and the usage of gadgets before sleeing on bed.

Relationship between coping styles and lipid profile among public university staff

Background

The scarcity of data about coping styles with a biochemical marker namely lipid profile, potentially associated with cardiovascular risk factors is most striking among professionals working in public university. Hence, this research aimed to investigate the relationship between coping styles and lipid profile comprising total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), HDL-cholesterol (high density lipoprotein-cholesterol) and LDL-cholesterol (Low density lipoprotein-cholesterol) among this group of professionals.

Methods

A cross sectional survey was conducted among staff from a tertiary education centre. Subjects were contacted to ascertain their medical history. A total of 320 subjects were interviewed and 195 subjects were eligible and subsequently recruited on a suitable date for taking blood and administration of the questionnaires. The subjects completed questionnaires pertaining to demographic details and coping styles. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength of association between lipid profile and coping styles.

Results

Majority of the subjects were non-academic staff (60.0%), female (67.2%), Malay (91.8%), married (52.3%) and educated until Diploma level (34.9%). Academic staff scored significantly higher mean scores in task-oriented coping styles (Mean = 64.12). Non-academic staff scored significantly higher mean scores in emotion (Mean = 48.05) and avoidance-oriented coping styles (Mean = 57.61). Malay subjects had significantly higher mean scores in emotion (Mean = 47.14) and avoidance-oriented coping styles (Mean = 55.23). Non-malay subjects (Mean = 66.00) attained significantly higher mean scores in task-oriented coping styles. Single/divorced/widowed individuals scored significantly higher mean scores in emotion (Mean = 48.13) and avoidance-oriented coping styles (Mean = 56.86). There was a significant negative correlation between TC (r = −0.162) and LDL (r = −0.168) with avoidance-oriented coping styles (p = 0.023, p = 0.019 respectively).

Conclusion

Avoidance-oriented coping style was more likely to engender favourable lipid profile. Hence, assessment of coping styles would certainly assist health care practitioners in predicting subjects who would be at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Support for a Campus Tobacco-Free Policy among Non- Smokers: Findings from a Developing Country

BACKGROUND

A tobacco-free workplace policy is identified as an effective means to reduce tobacco use and protect people from second-hand smoke; however, the number of tobacco-free policies (TFP) remains very low in workplaces in Malaysia. This study explored the factors affecting support for a tobacco-free policy on two healthcare campuses in Malaysia, prior to the implementation of TFP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross- sectional study was conducted among 286 non-smokers from two healthcare training centres and two nearby colleges in Malaysia from January 2015 to April 2015. A standardized questionnaire was administered via staff and student emails. The questionnaire collected information on sociodemographic characteristics, support for a tobacco-free policy and perceived respiratory and sensory symptoms due to tobacco exposure. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the independent effects of supporting a tobacco-free campus.

RESULTS

The percentage of individuals supporting completely tobacco-free facilities was 83.2% (N=238), as opposed to 16.7% (N=48) in support of partially tobacco-free facilities. Compared to the supporters of partially tobacco-free facilities, non-smokers who supported completely tobacco-free health facilities were more likely to be female, have higher education levels, to be very concerned about the effects of other people smoking on their health and to perceive a tobacco-free policy as very important. In addition, they perceived that tobacco smoke bothered them at work by causing headaches and coughs and, in the past 4 weeks, had experienced difficulty breathing. In the multivariate model, after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and other factors, only experiencing coughs and headaches increased the odds of supporting a completely tobacco-free campus, up to 2.5- and 1.9-fold, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Coughs and headaches due to other people smoking at work enhances support for a completely tobacco-free campus among non-smokers.

Factors associated with anxiety among elderly hypertensive in primary care setting

BACKGROUND

There is increasing evidence showing that anxiety is associated with morbidity in the older age group. Factors contributing to anxiety may vary among different diseases and settings.

AIMS

The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with anxiety symptoms among elderly hypertensive at the primary care level.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study and face-to-face interviews using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were conducted among elderly hypertensive.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) age of subjects was 68.8 (6.76) years and comprised of 49.5% and 50.5% of males and females, respectively. The majority of respondents were Malays (76.1%), followed by Chinese (14.3%), and Indians (9.5%). The mean (SD) duration of hypertension was 8.44 (7.29) years and the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 13.3% (95% CI: 9.9, 16.7). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that elderly hypertensive with a past history of stroke (adjusted OR: 4.472; 95% CI: 1.754, 11.405; p = 0.002) and depression (adjusted OR: 3.715; 95% CI: 2.009, 6.872; p < 0.001) was significantly associated with the factors for anxiety.

CONCLUSION

Elderly hypertensive with a history of stroke and having depressive symptoms are susceptible to get the anxiety. Therefore, screenings of risk factors and early intervention may improve the quality of life among elderly.

Socio-demographic and psychosocial correlates of erectile dysfunction among hypertensive patients

OBJECTIVE

The main aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of ED and the associated socio-demographic and psychological correlates among hypertensive patients from a rural multiethnic community in Malaysia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among hypertensive patients attending rural primary care clinics. The socio-demographic, health characteristics, erectile function and levels of depression, anxiety and stress were recorded and analysed. The International Index of ErectileFunction-5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used to assess erectile function and the levels of depression, anxiety and stress, respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 253 hypertensive patients comprising 178 (70.4%) Malays, 56 (22.1%) Chinese and 18 (7.5%) Indians participated. The mean age of participants was 59.8 ± 10.62 years. Overall, the prevalence rate of ED was 62%: 90 (35%) with moderate and 69 (27%) with severe ED. The prevalence rate of ED among those aged 65 years or older (83.1%) was significantly higher than those less than 65 years (51.8%), (p<0.001). Higher prevalence rates were also noted among the Chinese (78.6%) compared to Malays (59.6%) and Indians (50%) (p=0.021); lower education level (69.1%) (p=0.026), among hypertensive patients with concomitant diabetes mellitus (70.6%) (p=0.026) and WHR ≥ 0.9 (31.3%) (p=0.021). However, no significant association was found between depression, anxiety and stress scores with IIEF-5 score.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence rate of ED among Malaysian hypertensive patients is high. The rate increases significantly with age, Chinese ethnicity, concomitant diabetes mellitus, lower education level, WHR and the number of pack years of smoking. ED should be properly recognized and managed in hypertensive patients.