Effect of a Screening and Education Programme on Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices Regarding Osteoporosis among Malaysians.

Background: Osteoporosis is an emerging geriatric condition with high morbidity and healthcare cost in developing nations experiencing rapid population ageing. Thus, identifying strategies to prevent osteoporosis is critical in safeguarding skeletal health. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a bone health screening and education programme on knowledge, beliefs, and practice regarding osteoporosis among Malaysians aged 40 years and above. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted from April 2018 to August 2019. During the first phase of the study, 400 Malaysians (190 men, 210 women) aged ≥ 40 years were recruited in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Information on subjects' demography, medical history, knowledge, and beliefs regarding osteoporosis, physical activity status, and dietary and lifestyle practices were obtained. Subjects also underwent body anthropometry measurement and bone mineral density scan (hip and lumbar spine) using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry device. Six months after the first screening, similar investigations were carried out on the subjects. Results: During the follow-up session, 72 subjects were lost to follow up. Most of them were younger subjects with a lower awareness of healthy practices. A significant increase in knowledge, beliefs (p < 0.05), calcium supplement intake (p < 0.001), and dietary calcium intake (p = 0.036) and a reduction in coffee intake (p < 0.001) were found among subjects who attended the follow-up. In this study, the percentage of successful referrals was 41.86%. Subjects with osteoporosis were mostly prescribed alendronate plus vitamin D3 by medical doctors, and they followed the prescribed treatment accordingly. Conclusions: The bone health screening and education programmes in this study are effective in changing knowledge, beliefs, and practice regarding osteoporosis. The information is pertinent to policymakers in planning strategies to prevent osteoporosis and its associated problems among the middle-aged and elderly population in Malaysia. Nevertheless, a more comprehensive bone health education program that includes long-term monitoring and consultation is needed to halt the progression of bone loss.

The Consumption of Dairy and Its Association with Nutritional Status in the South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS).

Despite a major decrease in undernutrition worldwide over the last 25 years, underweight and stunting in children still persist as public health issues especially in Africa and Asia. Adequate nutrition is one of the key factors for healthy growth and development of children. In this study, the associations between dairy consumption and nutritional status in the South East Asian Nutrition Survey (SEANUTS) were investigated. National representative data of 12,376 children in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam aged between 1 and 12 years were pooled, representing nearly 88 million children in this age category. It was found that the prevalence of stunting and underweight was lower in children who consumed dairy on a daily basis (10.0% and 12.0%, respectively) compared to children who did not use dairy (21.4% and 18.0%, respectively) (p < 0.05). The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency and vitamin D insufficiency was lower in the group of dairy users (3.9% and 39.4%, respectively) compared to non-dairy consumers (7.5% and 53.8%, respectively) (p < 0.05). This study suggests that dairy as part of a daily diet plays an important role in growth and supports a healthy vitamin A and vitamin D status.