The Prevalence of Anemia and Its Associated Factors among Older Persons: Findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015.

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence on the association of anemia with chronic diseases and disabilities among older persons in Malaysia. We assessed the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among community-dwelling older persons. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using data from the nationwide National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015 (NHMS 2015) on the health of older adults conducted by the Institute for Public Health, National Institutes of Health, Malaysia. A two-stage stratified random-cluster sampling design was utilized. Data were collected on the sociodemographic profiles, non-communicable disease (NCD) comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia status) and disabilities among the older persons. Anemia was defined based on the World Health Organization's standards. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association of anemia with chronic diseases and disabilities. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia was 35.3% (95% CI: 33.1, 37.4) in the older persons. Chronic disease profiling showed that the prevalence rates of anemia among the older persons with diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were 38.6%, 35.3% and 34.1%, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, persons aged 80 years and above (adjusted OR (aOR): 2.64; 95% CI: 2.00, 3.47), 70-79 years (aOR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.66), with diabetes (aOR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.51) and with disabilities in walking (aOR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.54) and self-care (aOR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.22, 2.05) had higher odds of anemia compared to their respective reference categories. Among the persons with diabetes, the respondents aged 80 years and above (aOR: 2.48; 95% CI: 1.56, 3.94), 70-79 years old (aOR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.76) and with disabilities in vision (aOR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.63) and walking (aOR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.91) were more likely to be anemic. Furthermore, among the older persons without diabetes, persons aged 80 years and above (aOR: 2.89; 95% CI: 2.05, 4.07), 70-79 years old (aOR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.19, 1.80) and with difficulty in self-care (aOR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.30, 2.69) were more likely to be anemic. CONCLUSIONS: The resilient predictors of developing anemia were advancing age and diabetes, based on our study. Anemia is significantly associated with walking and vision disabilities among older persons with diabetes and with self-care difficulties in those without diabetes. There is a need for future studies to evaluate strategies to prevent anemia among older adults in order to promote healthy aging.

Perceived Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety and Stress amongst Staff in a Malaysian Public University: A Workers Survey.

Mental health conditions are a major part of workers' health that predisposes to poor self-motivation for sustaining productivity. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among staff in a Malaysian public university and its associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 459 staff from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) between April and June 2019. A questionnaire that consisted of items on socio-demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, employment description, lifestyle risk behaviors, personal medical history, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress was administered to participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted using SPSS version 22.0. The prevalence of perceived symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among the respondents was 28.7%, 50.1%, and 14.8%, respectively. Over one-quarter (26.5%) of the participants presented symptoms of two or more mental disorders. Women, those aged less than 40 years old, and non-academic professionals were more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms, while those with medical conditions that required hospitalizations sustained anxiety symptoms. Perceived stress was more likely to be prevalent among staff with secondary education or less and smokers. Proactive support for staff needs to be offered in sustaining their emotional well-being.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its associated risk factors among staffs in a Malaysian public university.

Public health systems are concerned with the commensurate rise of metabolic syndrome (MetS) incidence across populations worldwide, due to its tendency to amplify greater risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases within communities. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of MetS and its associated risk factors among staffs in a Malaysian public university. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 538 staffs from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) between April and June 2019. MetS was defined according to JIS "Harmonized" criteria. A questionnaire that consisted of items on socio-demographics, lifestyle risk behaviors and personal medical history information was administered to participants. Subsequently, a series of physical examination and biochemical assessment was conducted at the hall or foyer of selected faculties in the university. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted using SPSS version 22.0. Multivariate models were yielded to determine the risk factors associated with MetS. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. The overall prevalence of MetS was 20.6%, with men having greater prevalence than women (24.9% vs. 18.3%). Prevalence of MetS increased with age. Factors contributed to MetS in the overall sample were BMI, hypertension, diabetes and physical activity of moderate intensity. Diabetes and hypertension were significantly associated with MetS in men, whereas BMI, diabetes and hyperlipidemia were significantly associated with MetS in women. Lifestyle behaviors and cardio-metabolic risk factors were associated with MetS for the overall sample, and across genders.