Predictors of drug and substance abuse among school-going adolescents living in drug hotspot in Malaysia.

This study explored the pressing issue of drug and substance abuse (DSA) among adolescents in drug hotspots in Malaysia. The Malaysian Anti-drug Agency (AADK) has identified 155 hotspot areas across Malaysia, of which 78 were randomly selected as the study sites. These areas were identified as having extreme drug-related activities such as drug trafficking and drug-related crimes. According to the literature, several factors influence adolescents to be involved in DSA. Therefore, understanding the risk factors in the context of Malaysian school-going adolescents is of utmost importance. The study examined, in particular, a wide range of potential predictors, including socioeconomic factors, peer influence, family dynamics, educational experiences, drug access, and community characteristics. Adolescents in the hotspot areas were selected by means of a cross-sectional survey design with a cluster sampling method. The sample comprised 3382 school-going adolescents, and the data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The logit model method with STATA software was used to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed that school-going adolescents with disciplinary issues face a two-fold increase in the risk of becoming current drug users compared to their peers. Further, those exhibiting externalising behaviours, such as aggression and rule-breaking, also face greater odds of becoming involved in DSA. Drug pushers were identified as the most significant risk factor, with adolescents exposed to them being 46 times more likely to become current drug users. The factors of friends and family also contribute significantly to adolescent drug involvement. However, adolescents with academic-related issues may be less involved if they have the protective factor of better coping skills. These findings will contribute to efforts to mitigate drug addiction and drug-related activities, particularly in high-risk communities, as well as help policymakers and healthcare professionals develop targeted interventions and generally promote the well-being of adolescents.

A review on post-COVID-19 impacts and opportunities of agri-food supply chain in Malaysia.

Background: Malaysia is strongly supported by the agriculture sector as the backbone to drive the economy. However, COVID-19 has significantly affected agriculture across the production, supply, and marketing chains. It also disturbs the balance of food supply and demand in Malaysia. COVID-19 was an unexpected pandemic that resulted in shock and panic and caused a huge global impact. However, the impacts of this pandemic on the agriculture sector in Malaysia, particularly in the production and supply chains, are still unclear and scarce. This review offers insights into the challenges, particularly in sustaining agri-food production and supply chains. It also highlights the opportunity and relevant measures towards sustainability in agriculture to avoid agri-food disasters in the future. Methods: This study was carried out through a desk review of the secondary source of information covering the impact of COVID-19 in Malaysia particularly in the agri-food aspect, and a wide range of strategies and initiatives as the effective measures to overcome the crisis of this pandemic. Online desk research of the government published data and customer desk research were utilized to complete this study. Search engines such as Google Scholar and the statistical data from the official websites including the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) and the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center for the Asian and Pacific Region (FFTC-AP), were utilized. Keywords such as impact of COVID-19, pandemic, and agri-food supply chain were used to conduct the searches. The articles identified to be related to the study's objective were then downloaded and included in the study. Descriptive methods were used as the primary analysis technique following the descriptive analysis and visual data analysis in performing the sources obtained. Results: This devastating impact damages the lives by causing 4.3 million confirmed infections and more than 290,000 deaths. This disease presents an unprecedented challenge to the public health. The lockdown restriction under the movement control order (MCO), for more than of the world's population in the year 2020 to control the virus from spreading, has disrupted most of the economic sectors. The agriculture industry was seen as one of the essential industries and allowed to operate under strict standard operating procedures (SOP). Working under strict regulations came with a huge price paid for almost all industries. Conclusion: This pandemic has affected the national agri-food availability and accessibility in Malaysia. This outbreak created a reflection of opportunity for sharing a more flexible approaches in handling emergencies on agricultural food production and supply chains. Therefore, the government should be ready with the roadmap and enforce the measures to control the pandemic without disrupting the agri-food supply chain in the near future.

Health Help-Seeking Behavior: The Scavengers' Perspective.

Scavengers are prone to various health problems, hence seeking healthcare is inevitable. Despite the importance of the help-seeking behavior of scavengers, it has not been addressed explicitly in the existing literature. Addressing this gap, this study intends to explore the help-seeking behavior of scavengers and to identify the factors that influence healthcare utilization among them. This qualitative study conducted thirty-one in-depth interviews through a semi-structured interview guide and analyzed them using thematic analysis. Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Service Use was employed to explore the findings. The findings showed that the scavengers utilized multiple healthcare options depending on the severity and reoccurrence of the illness. The process of help-seeking and health services utilization was largely influenced by the cost of the health service, long distance to the health facility, traveling cost and waiting time. The study highlights the need for scavengers' enrolment in micro health insurance schemes. The initiative would facilitate scavengers' access to medical care. Health awareness campaigns and the provision of free mobile medical services, especially at the landfill sites, would also improve curative treatment among scavengers.

Prevalence of Drug and Substance Use among Malaysian Youth: A Nationwide Survey.

Uncontrolled drug and substance use (DSU) may pose unprecedented threats to nation building and a country's socioeconomic development. Despite considerable efforts made and resources used to address DSU concerns, Malaysia has seen a significant annual rise in cases of DSU. The bulk of the reported cases originate from youth between the ages of 15 and 40 years. To date, data related to DSU in Malaysia have been entirely dependent on operation statistics, arrest counts, and reported cases; DSU may therefore be under-reported and the data obtained not representative at the national level. This study aims to determine the prevalence of DSU among Malaysian youth through a large nationwide representative survey. Of the population of 11,129,316 youth aged 15-40 years, the prevalence of DSU among lifetime users was found to be 5.5%, while for those who had taken drugs in the past 30 days or who currently use them, the prevalence of DSU was found to be 3.5%. The most popular drugs for lifetime users were kratom or Mitragyna speciosa, while for current users the most popular drug was cannabis. The current study reports the magnitude of the problem at a country-wide level, which is a crucial preliminary effort for crafting evidence-based and well-informed policies.

Sociological Narrative of Suicidal Behavior Among Older People.

BACKGROUND: Globally, suicide is regarded as an immoral behavior and can be considered a criminal act in some societies. Sociological narrative views suicide not only as a result of mental illness suffered by the individuals but may also be caused by the social environment and other risk factors. PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to examine the social risk factors that drive older people to have suicidal feelings or tendencies and the extent to which these factors arise from the changes that occur in their social environment as a result of the process of modernization and industrialization. METHODS: This study employed the phenomenological approach through qualitative data collection technique. A total of 20 informants comprising 10 males and 10 females of Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnicity were selected for the study using purposive sampling technique. In-depth interviews were conducted with the informants. Data were transcribed and subsequently analyzed thematically using the NVivo 11 software. RESULTS: The findings revealed five conditions that led older people toward suicidal intentions. These include social and cultural changes, lack of social support, conflict in religious belief, influence of economic uncertainty and socio-economic status, and depression as a result of the changes in their social environment. CONCLUSION: The implication of this research is that these factors affect older people directly as they struggle to adapt and respond to the major changes that occur in the social structure of the society they live in, stemming from the process of modernization and industrialization. Efforts to enact better policies and services for older people need to be addressed especially in developing countries based on assessment of their needs, weaknesses, strengths, and capabilities by incorporating elements of the worldview of the older people based on their experiences of daily lives.