BackgroundThere is a rapid increase in the population of the elderly globally, and Malaysia is anticipated to become an ageing nation in 2030. Maintaining health, social participation, reducing institutionalization, and improving quality of life of the elderly are public health challenges of the 21st century. Quality of life among elderly in Elderly Homes in Malaysia is under researched. This study aims to determine the quality of life and its associated factors among the Elderly in Elderly Homes in Kuala Lumpur.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study among 203 residents aged 60 years or more in eight randomly selected Elderly Homes in Kuala Lumpur in September 2014. Stratified simple random sampling was used to select participants. Study instruments included World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF), Multidimensional Scale for Perceived Social Support, and a questionnaire for Socio-demographic variables. Data collection was by face to face interview. Univariate and Multivariate analysis were used to determine associations, and P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe mean (Standard deviation) for the physical domain was 14.3 (±2.7), 13.7 (±2.5) for the psychological domain, 10.8 (±3.4) for the social domain, and 13.0 (±2.5) for the environment domain. Factors significantly associated with quality of life included age, gender, level of education, economic status, outdoor leisure activity, physical activity, duration of residence, type of accommodation, co-morbidities, and social support.ConclusionThis study confirms that multiple factors are associated with quality of life among elderly in elderly homes. Social support, chronic co-morbidities, gender and outdoor leisure activity were significantly associated with all the domains of quality of life. Among the four domains of quality of life, the physical domain had the highest score while the social domain had the lowest score. This emphasizes the need for more social support-related interventions in these homes.

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Aims: There is a growing number of institutionalized elderly in Malaysia. This group of elderly are commonly not included in population based surveys, thus little is known about their health and well-being. This study aims to determine the self-rated health of the elderly living in institutions and the associated factors. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014, in eight elderly institutions in Kuala Lumpur. The institutions were selected randomly, and the participants were selected through stratified proportionate sampling. A total of 203 residents participated in this study. Chi-square test was used for univariate analysis and binary logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. P value less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of poor self-rated health was 39.9%. Factors significantly associated with Original Research Article

Background: Despite the ban on smoking in public places in Nigeria, second-hand smoke exposure is common across the country. It is increasingly being viewed as a severe women’s issue because of the high prevalence among women, and its harmful effects on pregnant women. However, second-hand smoke exposure among pregnant women in Nigeria is hugely under-researched. Aim: This study aims to determine the prevalence of second-hand smoke exposure among pregnant women in Nigeria, and determine their knowledge and avoidance behavior towards second-hand smoke. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 314 pregnant women in ten health facilities in Sokoto state, Nigeria. The health facilities were selected through simple random sampling. Results: The prevalence of second-hand smoke exposure was 72.9%. The majority of the respondents (61.1%) were exposed to second-hand smoke in homes of others, 20.4% in school, 18.5% in restaurants, 43.3% in their own homes, 49.7% in public transport, 20.4% at work, and 15% in health facilities. Factors significantly associated with second-hand smoke exposure included knowing it causes miscarriage (OR=0.39, 95% CI=0.23 – 0.64, P= <.001), and being able to keep a distance from smokers (OR=0.5, 95% CI= 0.28 – 0.76, P=.002). Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of exposure to second-hand smoke. Knowledge about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke was one of the significant factors associated with exposure. These findings indicate the need for appropriate education of all pregnant women about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and adequate enforcement of the ban on smoking in public places.