Exposure to secondhand smoke among school-going adolescents in Malaysia: Results from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2022: Adolescent Health Survey (AHS).

Introduction: The adverse effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure on health have been well established. Using the NHMS 2002: Adolescent Health Survey (AHS), this study attempts to evaluate the extent and factors associated with SHS exposure among Malaysian school-going adolescents.

Methods: We conducted the NHMS 2022: AHS to gather a representative sample of school-age teenagers.

Validity and reliability of the Malay language Perception Towards Smoking Questionnaire (BM-PTSQ) among secondary school adolescents: Further validation using Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Introduction: Perception is an essential factor influencing smoking among adolescents. Thus, a valid tool for measuring perception is a requisite in smoking studies. This study further establishes the validity and reliability of a Malay language version of the Perception Towards Smoking Questionnaire (BM-PTSQ) for assessing the perception of smoking among secondary school-going adolescents in Malaysia.

Construct validity and reliability of the Malay version of the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND): A confirmatory factor analysis.

Introduction: The Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) was forward-backwards translated into the Malay language (FTND-M) and administered to 152 daily smokers who sought treatment for smoking cessation in government health clinics in Selangor state, Malaysia.

Methods: Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), four measurement models with the best relative fit were compared, one uni-dimensional model, and three different two-domain (morning and daytime smoking) models.

Results: The findings indicate that the best model of the FTND-M was a two-domain model, wherein domain one represented morning smoking (time to first cigarette of the day, smoking more in the morning, and which cigarette would you hate to give up) and domain two represented daytime smoking (cigarettes per day, difficulty refraining from smoking, and smoking when ill) which showed good model fit [χ/df=1.

Age, Period, and Cohort Analysis of Smoking Intensity Among Current Smokers in Malaysia, 1996-2015.

Introduction: Tobacco use is one of the major preventable risk factors for premature death and disability worldwide. Understanding the trend of tobacco use over time is important for informed policy making.

Aims And Methods: The present study aimed to examine the changes in mean daily cigarette consumption among random samples of the Malaysian current smoker population over 20 years using an age-period-cohort (APC) approach.

Agreement between the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) and the heaviness of smoking index (HSI) for assessing the intensity of nicotine dependence among daily smokers.

Introduction: Measuring the level of nicotine addiction among smokers is an integral part of enhancing smoking cessation as nicotine dependence is one of the barriers to smoking cessation. In this study, we compared the level of agreement between FTND and HSI in detecting high nicotine dependence among daily smokers.

Methods: We collected data from participants of a public smoking cessation clinic in Selangor.

Lifestyles and Sexual Behaviour Among School-Going Adolescents: A Mediational Role of Mental Health.

Sexual behaviour and mental health among adolescents are major public health issues. This study examines how lifestyles affect sexual behaviour among school-going adolescents in Malaysia, and the potential mediational role of mental health. It is the first to our knowledge to explore the mediating effect of mental health on sexual behaviour with a focus on a fast-growing developing country.

The pattern in prevalence and sociodemographic factors of smoking in Malaysia, 2011-2019: Findings from national surveys.

Introduction: Smoking is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality worldwide, with Malaysia no exception. Through the Ministry of Health and other ministries in the government of Malaysia, numerous anti-smoking measures have been introduced to prevent and control smoking in the country. Continuous monitoring of smoking prevalence in the community is essential in order to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-smoking policies.

Validation of the Malay Version of the Decisional Balance Inventory (MDBI) among secondary school-going adolescents.

Introduction: The Decisional Balance Inventory is a tool used to measure propensity to maintain or change a habit which takes into consideration the perceived advantages and disadvantages. This study aimed to establish the validity and reliability of a Malay language version of the DBI for assessing inclination for change in smoking behavior among secondary school-going adolescents in Malaysia.

Methods: We administered the MDBI to 669 secondary school students selected through multistage sampling.

Correlates of dual/poly tobacco use among school-going adolescents in Malaysia: Findings from a nationwide school-based study.

Introduction: Dual/poly tobacco use is common among youths globally. However, in Malaysia information on dual/poly tobacco use is scarce, thus the present study examines the prevalence and factors associated with dual/poly tobacco users among school-going adolescents in Malaysia.

Methods: We derived data on tobacco and e-cigarette use among Malaysian adolescents from a nationwide school-based study conducted in 2016.

Assessment of association between smoking and all-cause mortality among Malaysian adult population: Findings from a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Smoking is a known risk factor for many chronic diseases. Illness and death due to smoking are a significant public health burden in many countries. This study aims to address the information gap in smoking-related mortality in Malaysia by estimating the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortalities due to smoking among Malaysian adults.

Assessing the Spatiotemporal Spread Pattern of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia.

Introduction: The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected human health and socioeconomic backgrounds. This study examined the spatiotemporal spread pattern of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia from the index case to 291,774 cases in 13 months, emphasizing on the spatial autocorrelation of the high-risk cluster events and the spatial scan clustering pattern of transmission.

Methodology: We obtained the confirmed cases and deaths of COVID-19 in Malaysia from the official GitHub repository of Malaysia's Ministry of Health from January 25, 2020 to February 24, 2021, 1 day before the national vaccination program was initiated.

The Role of Media and Retailer Message Recall on Malaysian Male Perceptions of E-Cigarette Use: The 2016 National Study of E-Cigarettes Prevalence.

This study examined the perceptions of current smokers on electronic cigarette (EC) use, after exposure to information on EC use and its potential harms from various media and retail outlets. This cross-sectional study is a sub-analysis of the National Study of Electronic Cigarettes Prevalence (N = 4289) using the multi-stage stratified sampling method. Respondents were interviewed face-to-face by a trained data collector using a structured questionnaire printed in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.

Sociodemographic correlates of knowledge about high sodium-related diseases among adults in Malaysia.

The prevalence of high sodium-related diseases is increasing across the globe. Knowledge plays an important role in disease prevention. The objective of the present study was to examine sociodemographic factors associated with knowledge of high sodium-related diseases.

Current e-cigarette use among in-school adolescents in West Malaysia: Examining the interactions between sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle risk behaviours.

Background: Adolescent e-cigarette use has increased dramatically. Most e-cigarette liquids contain nicotine, which can harm the developing adolescent brain. Local studies examining the risk factors of adolescent e-cigarette use and interactions between its risk factors are limited.

Susceptibility to e-cigarette initiation among tobacco product naïve adolescents in Malaysia: Findings from the tobacco and e-cigarette survey among Malaysian adolescents (TECMA).

Introduction: Predicting susceptibility to e-cigarette (EC) initiation among adolescents is crucial to optimize preventive measures before the health risk behavior persists through adulthood. The identification of susceptible groups is needed in response to the surge of EC use. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants associated with EC susceptibility among tobacco product naïve (never users of any single tobacco product) school-going adolescents in Malaysia.

Association of metabolic syndrome with risk of cardiovascular disease mortality and all-cause mortality among Malaysian adults: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: This study is aimed at determining the association between metabolic syndrome and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and all-cause mortality among Malaysian adults.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: The Malaysian Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance (MyNCDS-1) 2005/2006.

Mental health and risk behaviors among secondary school students: A study on ethnic minorities.

Background: Mental health disorders are highly correlated with risk behaviors. The objective of the present study is to examine the relationship between risk behaviors and mental health among school-going students with a focus on ethnic minorities.

Methods: The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2017 (n = 8230) was used for analyses.

Prevalence and factors related to secondhand smoke exposure among secondary school-going adolescents in Malaysia: Findings from Malaysia Global Health School Survey 2012 and 2017.

Introduction: Secondhand (SHS) smoke exposure has caused various health problems. Therefore, continuous monitoring of SHS exposure is important to determine the efficacy of various anti-tobacco measure implemented. The study aims to compare the prevalence and factor(s) associated with SHS exposure among secondary school-going adolescents in Malaysia during 2012 and 2017.

Exposure to secondhand smoke among school-going adolescents in Malaysia: Findings from the tobacco and e-cigarettes survey among Malaysian adolescents (TECMA).

Introduction: Many studies have revealed that exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) substantially increases the risk of smoking related diseases especially among the vulnerable groups, yet data on the location of SHS exposure among youth in Malaysia are still lacking. The study aims to describe the prevalence and factors associated with SHS exposure at home, outside the home, and inside the school among school-going adolescents in Malaysia.

Methods: We derived the data from the TECMA study, which used a cross-sectional study design and multi-stage sampling method to obtain a representative sample of school-going adolescents aged 11-19 years in Malaysia in 2016.

Tobacco use and other aspects related to smoking among school-going adolescents aged 13-15 years in Malaysia: Analysis of three cross-sectional nationally representative surveys in 2003, 2009 and 2016.

Introduction: Periodic surveys on tobacco use patterns and other aspects of tobacco use among school-going adolescents in Malaysia provide information on the effectiveness of anti-smoking measures implemented. However, such information is limited in Malaysia. We investigated the prevalence of smoking and other related aspects among middle-secondary school students in Malaysia from the years 2003-2016 to fill this gap.

Malaysian adolescents' exposure to secondhand smoke in the car of their parents/guardians: A nationwide cross-sectional school-based study.

Introduction: We investigated the prevalence of children's exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in the car of their parents/guardians and the associated factors.

Methods: A self-administered validated questionnaire was used to obtain data from the nationally representative samples of school-going adolescents aged 11-19 years in Malaysia. Prevalence rates were computed and chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression were conducted.

Prevalence and Factors Associated With Attempts to Quit and Smoking Cessation in Malaysia.

Smoking cessation significantly reduces risk of smoking-related diseases and mortality. This study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with attempts to quit and smoking cessation among adult current smokers in Malaysia. Data from the National E-Cigarette Survey 2016 were analyzed.

Smoking susceptibility among non-smoking school-going adolescents in Malaysia: findings from a national school-based survey.

Objective: The identification of susceptible non-smoking adolescents is an essential step in reducing smoking initiation among adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and factors associated with smoking susceptibility among non-smoking school-going adolescents in Malaysia.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Cigarette Smoking Among Secondary School-Going Male Adolescents in Malaysia: Findings From the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2017.

Smoking is a learned behavior during adolescence, and it is found predominantly among male adolescents in Malaysia. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictive factors of current cigarette smoking among school-going male adolescents in Malaysia. Data were derived from the National Health and Morbidity Survey: Adolescent Health Survey 2017, a cross-sectional study that utilized a 2-stage stratified cluster sampling to select a nationally representative sample of school-going adolescents in Malaysia (n = 27 497).