State Of Kedah Research Articles

Understanding the Concept of Integrity among Malaysian Immigration Department Staff State of Kedah

Understanding the Concept of Integrity among Malaysian Immigration Department Staff State of Kedah

Individual’s awareness of healthy lifestyle: A cross sectional study of a rural community in Kedah, Malaysia

Background: Healthy lifestyle practices play a key role in disease prevention and control of any chronic illness and disability. This study aims to identify the role of individual’s awareness towards a healthy life and well-being in a rural community
 Material and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted by using structured questionnaire at a village, Kedah state, Malaysia on 2018.
 Results: The study revealed that among 120 respondents the mean ±SD age of respondents was 24±16.32 years. All the respondents were Muslim. The mean±SD weight of respondents was 66.07±14.353 kilogram. Study revealed that no participant reported drinking alcohol within the last month. 91 (76.6%) of the respondents were non-smoker. 42(35%) respondents reported daily consumption of fruits. 86 (71.67 %) respondents reported moderate to vigorous physical activities for 30 minutes per day. Regarding co-morbidity status, 60 (49.9%) was not suffering from any form of illness during the study period. This study found the significant association between the BMI and smoking habit with co-morbidity (p<0.000).
 Conclusion: Majority of the participants of this study was health conscious and had positive health-related behaviour. The effective behavioral changes less likely to happen unless the individual’s awareness and motivation towards a healthy life is decreased.

Analysis of Presenteeism among Nurses

Nurses’ presenteeism surveys are essential in order for a healthcare organization to obtain a comprehensive understanding pertaining to the nurses’ problem and also their needs regarding the relationship between elements of nature of work, social support, physical work environment and social status with presenteeism. A study is a vital tool to investigate the relationship between elements of nature of work, social support, physical work environment and social status which leads to the frequency of presenteeism among nurses in the hospital. This study was a correlational research about the relationship between elements of nature of work, social support, physical work environment and social status with presenteeism among nurses in government hospital at Perlis and Kedah state. A convenience sampling technique was used and 120 respondents were statistically calculated. Only respondents who nurses served treatment and care in government hospital at Perlis and Kedah state were included in this study. The components of presenteeism study were the socio-demographic characteristics, the elements of nature of work, social support, physical work environment and social status as well as nurses’ presenteeism. This study aimed to find the significant relationship between independent and dependent variables. It was revealed that the elements of nature of work, social support, physical work environment and social status were lead to presenteeism among nurses in government hospital at Perlis and Kedah state. Besides, there are some aspects that should be considered by government hospital at Perlis and Kedah state in order to knowledgeable the frequency of presenteeism among their nurses. Since nurses’ presenteeism seems to be the most important element in Perlis and Kedah state, it is beneficial for the hospital management to encourage their nurse to pretend good and excellent without poor health condition and decreases the frequency of presenteeism with the elements of nature of work, social support, physical work environment and social status.

The Influence of Mobile Technology Adoption among Secondary School Teachers using the UTAUT2 Model

Mobile technology (MT) is a mobile device that has become a fixture of gadget enthusiasts, and its use has proliferated around the world in recent years. The situation is becoming more and more popular in the field of education. As a teacher, they are also directly involved in the benefits of MT. Most teachers use MT for personal purposes such as accessing email, communicating through social media and browsing web pages. However, it is difficult to determine the driving force behind the use of MT to improve teaching. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify factors influencing teachers' behavioral intention to use MT (TBIMT) based on the UTAUT2 Model. A total of 422 secondary school teachers in the state of Kedah, Malaysia, were selected as respondents of the study. The findings show that only three components of UTAUT2 influence TBIMT in teaching, namely EE, HM and HT. In conclusion, teachers can manipulate the advantages of MT to create more effective teaching strategies.

Moving Cell Array Prediction for LORAWAN-Handover Based On Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) Algorithm

This paper discusses the prediction of movement from the vehicles with Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) handover communication, based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) algorithm. The experiment consists of observation on three different environment area which is rural, sub-urban and urban at road in Kedah and Perlis state in Malaysia. This three-environment area measured based on the past studies. Handover session with a moving vehicle, predicted the movement based on direction of Global Positioning System (GPS) latitude and longitude. The communication session transferring from previous cell area network that pass by the vehicle to a new targeting cell area network with the base station connection. From this experiment and study, it is shown that the predictable or movement from one cell to another cell based on RSSI algorithm with base station connectivity can be achieved.

Risk factors for hepatitis C infection among adult patients in Kedah state, Malaysia: Acase-control study.

Hepatitis C infection is a global public health problem. This study was designed to identify the risk factors associated with hepatitis C infection among adult patients in Kedah state, Malaysia. A matched, hospital-based, case–control study was conducted at a tertiary hospital. Cases were adult (aged ≥ 18 years) patients with positive serology test results for hepatitis C virus antibody and detectable hepatitis C virus RNA from January 2015 to December 2018, and controls were age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched patients who were not infected with hepatitis C virus. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data on demographic characteristics and previous exposure to selected risk factors among the study participants. Associations between hepatitis C and demographic and risk factors were assessed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. A total of 255 case–control patient pairs were enrolled. The multivariable analysis indicated that having a history of blood or blood product transfusion before 1992 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 6.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.73–13.81), injection drug use (AOR = 6.60, 95% CI: 3.66–12.43), imprisonment (AOR = 4.58, 95% CI: 1.62–16.40), tattooing (AOR = 3.73, 95% CI: 1.37–12.00), having more than one sexual partner (AOR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.16–3.69), piercing (AOR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.04–2.80), and having only secondary education (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.06–3.57) were independently associated with hepatitis C. No associations were found between health care occupation, needle-prick injury, surgical procedures, haemodialysis, acupuncture, cupping, or contact sports and hepatitis C infection. These findings demonstrate that hepatitis C risk is multifactorial. Having a history of blood or blood product transfusion before 1992, injection drug use, imprisonment, tattooing, having more than one sexual partner, piercing, and having only secondary education were associated with increased odds of hepatitis C.

HEALTH-BASED PHYSICAL FITNESS LEVEL BY GENDER AMONG FORM SIX SPORTS SCIENCE STUDENTS IN THE STATE OF KEDAH

Background: Physical fitness has a strong relationship with health and academic achievement. This study aims to identify the health-related physical fitness level among Form Six Sports Science students in the State of Kedah by gender.Methods: 225 students (107 male and 118 female) were purposively selected to participate in this descriptive study. This study was conducted using the Prudential FITNESSGRAM® test battery instrument, which introduced by Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, (1992). Researchers determine the physical fitness level of the subjects using five test items: cardiovascular endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and body mass index (BMI).Results: The findings use descriptive statistical analysis to identify the physical fitness level based on health components using the norms developed by Elumalai et al. (2019). The overall fitness analysis showed that almost 50% of boys and girls were in the range of a good level. Around 20% were in the range of moderate and very good respectively. Meanwhile, less than 5% were excellent in both genders. Analysis based on separate components showed most of the subjects, around 80% were in the range of moderate to very good.Conclusion: This study indicates that Form Six Sports Science student's physical fitness should be tested and evaluated before enrolling in Form Six sports Science program. This will ensure that they are healthy and have the quality as expected for future sports personals towards the development of the Malaysian sports industry.

The potential of canonical correlation analysis in multivariable screening of climate model

The statistical downscaling model (SDSM) been used to analyse the potential changes of local climate trend in the long term. The difficulty of the SDSM model in selecting the best predictors group which having good association to the local climate. Even the SDSM provides screening process to analyse the predictor-rainfall relationship, however it has limited ability in analysing multiple variables from 26 predictors with 10 rainfall stations around Kedah state, Malaysia. In this regard, the Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) been used to analyse the multi predictor-rainfall relationships. The concept of canonical coefficient is sufficient to show the capability and reliability of the predictors based on the percentages of variance that can explained in the dependent variable using the independent variable. There were 10 predictors’ group have been developed and one predictor’s group was built based on the CCA result. The performances of these predictors groups were tested using statistical analyses. Results revealed that the predictors group selected by the CCA method has produced smaller values of MAE and MSE for all stations except at station of Ladang Tanjung Pauh. The box plot’s results, which generated from one hundred simulated samples, indicated that the performance of CCA method was remarkable. The presence of discrepancies in the HadCM3-A2 and HadCM3-B2 scenario simulations were relatively small and considered acceptable.

Quality of Life among Colorectal Cancer Screening Patients in Malaysia

As Malaysia is experiencing a rapid increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC), the introduction of CRC screening in Malaysia serves to improve the early CRC detection among Malaysian and its treatment outcome. The present study measured Malaysian’s perception on the quality of life (QOL) based on screened individuals in Kedah, Malaysia. The study aims to determine QOL among screened individuals based on the CRC screening modalities available in Malaysia. A cross sectional study was conducted from March 2016 to April 2017 in a public tertiary hospital and a district health clinic in the state of Kedah. Three hundred and thirty respondents aged 40 to 70 years old were asked to fill-up a self-reported health survey questionnaire comprised of 36 itemised questions (SF-36). The mean age of respondents was 58.75 ±7.53 years with 52.7% of respondents being male and 47.3% female. The majority of respondents have underlying medical illness. Mean health utility’s score in CRC screening IFOBT’s only modality was higher compare to other modalities 0.85 (ANOVA F=21.505, p<0.001). For the Physical Composite Score (PCS), IFOBT’s only modality also had a higher mean score compared to other modalities of 56.64 (ANOVA F=19.655, p<0.001) in addition to the Mental Composite Score (MCS) 56.37 (ANOVA F=12.033, p<0.001). The CRC screening via IFOBT’s only modality had better QOL in health utility, physical health and mental health compared to other modalities. Therefore, the CRC screening program is essential in preserving the QOL of Malaysian population.

QUALITATIVE INSIGHT ON THE IMPACT OF LEADERS’ COMPETENCIES TO MOSQUE PERFORMANCE

Mosque plays an important role in molding and creating beautiful success ummah. In the days of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. the mosque is known and acts as a central place for all Muslims to practice religious rituals as well as other social activities. However, in Malaysia, the mosque is now seen as a place meant for religious rituals only and the activities held does not attract many attendees. This research aims to understand what are the core competencies which will have a significant impact on mosque performance. This is seen as necessary as having leaders with the identified core competencies will uplift the mosque institution to a higher level professionally. The research adopts a qualitative method and eighteen mosque leaders representing six mosques in the state of Kedah have been selected based on the recommendation by the religious state office respectively. Data would be collected using the interview and observation method. The result of the study aims to assist Kedah State Religious to strengthen and identify the competencies needed by the mosque leaders in managing the mosque effectively.

PENGARUH SOSIOEKONOMI KELUARGA TERHADAP KECICIRAN PELAJAR-PELAJAR INDIA: KAJIAN KES DI DAERAH KUALA MUDA KEDAH

The problem of dropping out of Indian students should be addressed especially with regard to low-income households (B40). There are many factors driving the dropout of Indian students in schools. The purpose of this study is to examine the socioeconomic factors of the family and the parents' commitment to Indian student dropout. Among its objectives are to identify the socioeconomic influence of the family and the parents' commitment to the dropout of Indian students; learn about the implications of Indian student dropout rates and identify steps to curb Indian student dropout problems. This study was conducted in selected areas in Kuala Muda District of Kedah State, Malaysia involving high school dropout Indian students. This research is qualitative and cannot be extended to other states as researchers use interviewing observation and documentation research. The respondents to this study were 5 dropout students, mostly from B40 families. The findings of this study found that low socioeconomic influence of parents and lack of parental commitment to children's education caused students to drop out of school. The implications of dropping Indian students are also discussed and some suggestions have been made to reduce dropout rates among Indian students.

Cost of preterm birth during initial hospitalization: A care provider's perspective.

Preterm birth incidence has risen globally and remains a major cause of neonatal mortality despite improved survival. Demand and cost of initial hospitalization has also increased. This study assessed the cost of preterm birth during initial hospitalization from care provider perspective in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) of two hospitals in the state of Kedah, Malaysia. It utilized universal sampling and prospectively followed up preterm infants till discharge. Care provider cost was assessed using mixed method of top down approach and activity based costing. A total of 112 preterm infants were recruited from intensive care (93 infants) and minimal care (19 infants) units. Majority were from the moderate (23%) and late (36%) preterm groups followed by very preterm (32%) and extreme preterm (9%). Median cost per infant increased with level of care and degree of prematurity. Cost was dominated by overhead (fixed) costs for general (hospital), intermediate (clinical support services) and final (NICU) cost centers where it constituted at least three quarters of admission cost per infant while the remainder was consumables (variable) cost. Breakdown of overhead cost showed NICU specific overhead contributing at least two thirds of admission cost per infant. Personnel salary made up three quarters of NICU specific overhead. Laboratory investigation was the cost driver for consumables. Gender, birth weight and length of stay were significant factors and cost prediction was developed with these variables. This study demonstrated the inverse relation between resource utilization, cost and prematurity and identified personnel salary as the cost driver. Cost estimates and prediction provide in-depth understanding of provider cost and are applicable for further economic evaluations. Since gender is non-modifiable and reducing LOS alone is not effective, birth weight as a cost predictive factor in this study can be addressed through measures to prevent or delay preterm birth.

Novel Orthobunyavirus Causing Severe Kidney Disease in Broiler Chickens, Malaysia, 2014-2017.

During 2014–2017, we isolated a novel orthobunyavirus from broiler chickens with severe kidney lesions in the state of Kedah, Malaysia; we named the virus Kedah fatal kidney syndrome virus (KFKSV). Affected chickens became listless and diarrheic before dying suddenly. Necropsies detected pale and swollen kidneys with signs of gout, enlarged and fragile livers, and pale hearts. Experimental infection of broiler chickens with KFKSV reproduced the disease and pathologic conditions observed in the field, fulfilling the Koch’s postulates. Gene sequencing indicated high nucleotide identities between KFKSV isolates (99%) and moderate nucleotide identities with the orthobunyavirus Umbre virus in the large (78%), medium (77%), and small (86%) genomic segments. KFKSV may be pathogenic for other host species, including humans.

Retraction: Novel Orthobunyavirus Causing Severe Kidney Disease in Broiler Chickens, Malaysia, 2014-2017.

During 2014-2017, we isolated a novel orthobunyavirus from broiler chickens with severe kidney lesions in the state of Kedah, Malaysia; we named the virus Kedah fatal kidney syndrome virus (KFKSV). Affected chickens became listless and diarrheic before dying suddenly. Necropsies detected pale and swollen kidneys with signs of gout, enlarged and fragile livers, and pale hearts. Experimental infection of broiler chickens with KFKSV reproduced the disease and pathologic conditions observed in the field, fulfilling the Koch's postulates. Gene sequencing indicated high nucleotide identities between KFKSV isolates (99%) and moderate nucleotide identities with the orthobunyavirus Umbre virus in the large (78%), medium (77%), and small (86%) genomic segments. KFKSV may be pathogenic for other host species, including humans.

A STUDY PROTOCOL ON RISK FACTORS FOR HEPATITIS C INFECTION AMONG ADULT PATIENTS AT TERTIARY HOSPITALS IN KEDAH STATE

Background: Hepatitis C virus is a bloodborne virus and commonly transmitted by contaminated blood mainly via clinical procedures and intravenous drug use. However, quality design study to explore the potential risk factor for hepatitis C infection in general local population is lacking. Thus, the present study is proposed to fill the gap in the body of knowledge of the related issue. Materials and Methods: A matched hospital-based, case-control study will be conducted to identify the risk factors for hepatitis C infection. Patients with positive anti-HCV antibodies recruited from two participating tertiary hospitals will be in the case group, and controls will be those with negative serology for HCV infection that attending other specialist outpatient clinic of the same hospital where the case will be recruited. All cases and controls will be matched by gender, age (within 5 years) and ethnicity, with a ratio of one case to one control. Information on patient risk exposure will be collected using a standardised questionnaire. This study requires 291 pairs of matched case-control. Conditional logistic regression will be used for data analysis using STATA software. Expected Outcome: The conduct of proposed study will help to identify common local practice that has an association with the hepatitis C infection. It is anticipated that the study results will inform the local health authorities and policy makers on key areas to formulate cost-effective preventive programs to reduce the incidence and transmission of this virus infection in Kedah state and Malaysia. Keywords: bloodborne, hepatitis C, infection, matched case-control, risk factors.

Soft Clay Soil and Organic Soil Amendment Effects on Soil Organic Carbon in Paddy Cultivation Area

Soft clay soil has become a major problem in paddy cultivation area. Nearly half of the total paddy field in Kedah State, Malaysia cannot be utilized for paddy cultivation because of soft clay soil. The problem is related to the presence of weak hardpan structure that permits the soil to experience continuous wet condition. The soil also causes in the alteration of many processes soil organic carbon sequestration and turnover, but the main effect on the land is decrease in soil fertility. To investigate the effects of soft clay soil on soil organic carbon content, stock and change rate, the trial has been conducted in Alor Senibong paddy field area in Kedah, Malaysia examining the problematic paddy field that associated with soft clay soil problem. Hasil Tani Organic Compound (HTOC) was an organic soil amendment that used to enhance soil organic carbon in this study. Paddy field with the presence of soft clay soil showed a low soil organic carbon content and stock around 0.67% and 1.01 t·ha-1, respectively (depth 0-15 cm). The reduction of soil organic carbon content in soft clay soil was likely because of the waterlogged soil environment, the stability of soil aggregates and decline in humification process which then reduced soil organic carbon input. After being treated with HTOC, soil organic carbon content and carbon stock in soft clay soil have significantly increased by 0.67-3.14% and 1.01-4.76 t·ha-1 (depth 0-15 cm), respectively, yielding a mean monthly carbon change rate of 4.36 g C kg−1·mth.−1 (depth 0-15 cm). As whole, the succession of HTOC application to improve soil organic carbon content in this study could be employed in other paddy field areas that associated with soft clay soil problem.

Muallaf Da’wah Activities in Kedah: Challenges and Solutions

Islam is the fastest growing religion whose numbers are increasing daily over the entire world. This study is set out to scrutinize formal da’wah activities in the northern state of Kedah, focusing on its challenges and solutions. These activates are formally carried out by government organization being supported by none-government organization specifically responsible for this mission with informal activities go on alongside. This is a case study and it used interviews, observations and document analysis in its data collection, which were descriptively analysed. It was found out that both government and non-government organizations cooperated in conveying the message as well catering for muallaf needs after their conversion to Islam through guidance classes, financial assistance and training. Almost all these organization face acute administration problems, insufficient funds, lack of enough qualified human resource and the muallaf stance. The study is of the view that there organization need to collaborate their activities in order to overcome these difficulties to ensure a smooth running of these programs proficiently and thriftily and to fully accomplish their projected gaols.

The Practice of Tolerance among Islamic Education Teachers (IETs) through &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Shura&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; in the Management of Da’wah Activities in Schools

Tolerance is a rational, practical, and highly recommended practice in Islamic teachings. This study aspires to identify tolerance levels through shura practiced by Islamic Education Teachers (IET) across all national primary schools in Peninsular Malaysia. This study was conducted entirely using quantitative approach. A survey along with a five-point Likert scale questionnaire was distributed to 433 respondents in 4 different zones representing the state of Kedah (north zone), Kelantan (east zone), Selangor (central zone) and Johor (south zone). The results showed that the (IETs) tolerance level through shura is at high value (min = 4.39 and sd = 0.383). The contribution of this study is to boost the comprehension of openness through a more dynamic shura towards educators because of its capacity to promote positive shift in any school management activities.

Patient Perspective on Factors Contributing to Nonadherence to Dietary Therapy: A Qualitative Study in Multicultural Population of Kedah, Malaysia.

The purpose of this study is to explore diabetes patients' views on various factors contributing to nonadherence to dietary therapy. Using a qualitative approach, 17 in-depth interviews were conducted with type 2 diabetes mellitus patients at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Kedah state, Malaysia. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated before analysis. Thematic content analysis was used and three main themes emerged. The main factors that affect diabetes patients' dietary adherence were "individual preference," "family support," and "social and cultural activities." Difficulty to change the existing meals, poor family support, practice of eating out, and social and cultural gatherings were among the factors that influenced diabetes patients' adherence toward dietary therapy. Most challenges were related to the social role of food in the multicultural population. Therefore, in addition to the family and community involvement, dietary therapy should be individualized to improve patient adherence.

Evaluating the Behavioral Intention to Use E-Government Services from Malaysian’s Perspective in Kedah State of Malaysia

Recognizing the importance of ICT, e-Government initiatives are rising through public organizations and public administration all over the world. Malaysia as a developing country had started implementing e-Government to improve the public services for the people. Unfortunately, public acceptance and usage towards e-Government are still very limited in most developing countries. The main purpose of this study is to investigate citizen adoption of e-government services in the northern region of Malaysia. Importantly, this study aims to develop a conceptual framework that is based on previous literature on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, by examining the relationships between four factors (Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, and Facilitating Conditions) and Citizen adoption of e-Government services. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data from 22 Malaysian citizens in the state of Kedah, Malaysia, randomly. The findings indicate that Effort expectancy, Social influence and Facilitating conditions are the significant predictors of the Malaysian intention to use an e-Government services, while Performance Expectancy is proven to be an insignificant predictor for the Malaysian’s intention to use an e-Government services. The study has made contributions to the body of knowledge at academic and practical levels as an important exploratory study that was conducted in the context of Malaysia, a country which aims to be a developed country by 2020. In addition, this study provides some valuable insights into the adoption of e-Government in Malaysian context which could help government agencies to improve the effectiveness of their services.