IntroductionBoth gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and hyperglycaemia less severe than GDM are associated with risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. We describe the study design of a prospective cohort of pregnant women recruited in early pregnancy with follow-ups of mothers and infants up to 2 years after birth. The primary aim of the study was to identify the determinants and outcomes of maternal glycaemia.Methods and analysisSeremban Cohort Study (SECOST) is an ongoing prospective cohort study in which eligible pregnant women in first trimester (<10 weeks of gestation) are recruited from Maternal and Child Health clinics in Seremban District, Negeri Sembilan with seven follow-ups during pregnancy through 2 years postnatally. Infants are followed up every 6 months after birth until 2 years old. A standard 75 g oral glucose tolerance test is performed between 24 and 32 of weeks of gestation and as close to 28 weeks of gestation. Pregnancy and birth information are obtained from medical records. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical, dietary, physical activity, smoking, depression, child feeding and other data of mothers and infants are obtained at follow-ups.Ethics and disseminationThis study is approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee (MREC), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM/FPSK/100-9/2-MJKEtika) and MREC, Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM/NIHSEC/08/0804/P12- 613). Permission to conduct this study is also obtained from the Head of Seremban District Health Office. All participants are required to provide written informed consent prior to data collection. The research findings will be disseminated at journals and conference presentations.

Aim Older persons are vulnerable to food insecurity. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of food insecurity and associated factors among older persons in Malaysia. Methods This is a cross‐sectional study with two‐stage stratified random sampling. In total, 3977 older persons participated in this study. Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted using a mobile device to obtain information about socio‐demographic background, food insecurity, non‐communicable diseases, social support and living arrangements. Descriptive and multiple complex sample logistic regression analyses were performed for data analysis. Results The overall prevalence of food insecurity among older persons was 10.4%. Older persons from rural areas with no or only primary and secondary education, income less than RM 2000 (USD 477.57), at risk of malnutrition and not receiving very high social support were more likely to be food‐insecure. Conclusion Approximately, one‐tenth of Malaysian older adults were classified as food‐insecure; particularly those living in rural areas from lower socio‐economic status, not receiving very high social support and malnourished were more likely to be at risk. A specific nutrition program, such as meals on wheels and food vouchers, should be targeted toward older persons who are at risk to improve their malnutrition status. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 73–78.

Background Studies have shown that having away from home meals contributes to high sodium intake among young people and those who lived in urban areas. This study aimed to determine the association between dietary sodium intake, body mass index, and away from home meal consumption behaviour among Malaysian adults. Methods MyCoSS was a cross-sectional household survey involving 1440 adults age 18 years and above. This study utilized stratified cluster sampling to obtain a nationally representative sample. Data was collected between October 2017 and March 2018. Socio-demographic information, dietary assessment using food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and away from home meal consumption were assessed through a face-to-face interview by trained health personnel. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were applied to identify the association of socioeconomic status and away from home meal consumption with dietary sodium intake. Results A total of 1032 participants completed the FFQ, with a mean age of 48.8 + 15.6 years. Based on the FFQ, slightly over half of the participants (52.1%) had high sodium intake. Results showed that 43.6% of participants consumed at least one to two away from home meals per day, while 20.8% of them had their three main meals away from home. Participants aged less than 30 years old were the strongest predictor to consume more sodium (adjusted OR: 3.83; 95%CI: 2.23, 6.58) while those of Indian ethnicity had significantly lower sodium intake. Surprisingly, having three away from home meals per day was not associated with high dietary sodium intake, although a significant association (crude OR; 1.67, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.35) was found in the simple logistic regression. Obese participants were less likely to have high dietary sodium intake compared with the normal BMI participants in the final model. Conclusion Over half of the participants consumed sodium more than the recommended daily intake, especially those who consumed three away from home meals. However, there was no significant association between high sodium intake and having three away from home meals per day. The promotion of healthy cooking methods among the public must continue to be emphasized to reduce the dietary sodium intake among Malaysian adults.

Background High blood pressure or hypertension has become one of the main health problems, worldwide. A number of studies have proven that an increased intake of salt was related to an increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. Of late, its relationship with high salt intake has received a lot of attention. Studies in Malaysia have shown both rising hypertension over time as well as high salt consumption. Actions to reduce salt intake are essential to reduce hypertension and its disease burden. As such, we carried out a study to determine associations between knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards salt intake and hypertension among the Malaysian population. Methods Data obtained from the Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS) was used partially for this study. The survey used a cross-sectional two-stage sampling design to select a nationally representative sample of Malaysian adults aged 18 years and above living in non-institutional living quarters (LQ). Face-to-face interviews were done by trained research assistants (RA) to obtain information on sociodemography, medical report, as well as knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the respondents towards salt intake and blood pressure. Results Majority of the respondents have been diagnosed with hypertension (61.4%) as well as knowledge of the effects of high salt intake on blood pressure (58.8%). More than half of the respondents (53.3%) said they controlled their salt intake on a regular basis. Those who knew that a high salt diet could contribute to a serious health problem (OR=0.23) as well as those who controlled their salt intake (OR=0.44) were significantly less likely to have hypertension. Conclusion Awareness of the effects of sodium on human health, as well as the behaviour of controlling salt intake, is essential towards lowering the prevalence of hypertension among Malaysians.

Background Hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for cardiovascular disease and leading cause of mortality globally. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of hypertension and its associated risk factors among Malaysian population using data from the Malaysian Community Salt Study (MyCoSS). Methods This study was a cross-sectional study using multi-stage stratified sampling method. Data collection was carried out via face-to-face interview at the respondent’s home from October 2017 until March 2018. A total of 1047 respondents aged 18 years and above completed the questionnaires and blood pressure measurement. A person who reported diagnosis of hypertension by a physician and had systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg on three readings was categorised as hypertensive. Risk factors of hypertension were analysed using multiple logistic regression. Results The prevalence of hypertension in the present study was 49.39% (95% CI 44.27–54.51). There was no statistically significant difference in gender. Age, household income, BMI, and diabetes were significantly associated with hypertension. Hypertension found had inverse association with the level of education. Age was the strongest predictor of hypertension (35–44 years old; OR=2.39, 95% CI=1.39–4.09, 45–54 years old; OR=5.50, 95% CI=3.23–9.38, 55–64 years old OR=13.56, 95% CI=7.77–23.64 and 65 years old and above; OR=25.28, 95% CI=13.33–48.66). Those who had higher BMI more likely to be hypertensive as compared to respondents with normal weight (overweight, OR=1.84; 95% CI=1.18–2.86; obese, OR=4.29% CI=2.56–7.29). Conclusion The findings showed that hypertension is prevalent among adults in Malaysia. Those with older age, higher BMI, and diabetes are more likely to have hypertension. Efforts regarding lifestyle modification and education could be important in hypertension management and prevention.