Prevalence and Factors Associated with Smartphone Addiction among Adolescents–A Nationwide Study in Malaysia

Smartphone ownership among adolescents is getting common in this decade especially in Malaysia;Adolescent are strongly devoted to their smartphone and this may lead to smartphone addiction.Studies have reported that smartphone addiction has become an emerging social and health problem especially among the youth in many countries however there is lack of study among adolescents in Malaysia.This study aimed to examine the prevalence and factors associated with smartphone addiction among adolescents in Malaysia.This was a cross-sectional study involving adolescents from 15 primary care clinics throughout the country.Respondents were assessed on their smartphone activities using the Malaysian short version of the Smartphone addiction scale(SAS-M-SV).Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of smartphone addiction among adolescents.The study was conducted among 921 adolescents with 49.6%male(n=457).The mean age of adolescents was 16.4±2.4 years.The ethnicity distribution were 74.6%Malay,7.3%Chinese,4.7%Indian and 13.4%other ethnicities.The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 37.1%(342/921);37.4%in male and 36.9%in female.Based on multiple logistic regression analysis,longer duration of smartphone use per week was associated with higher odds of smartphone addiction among adolescent(odd ratio=1.005%,95%confidence interval=1.000–1.009,p-value=0.039).Smartphone addiction is present in nearly four in ten adolescents in Malaysia.Adolescents who spend longer duration in smartphone usage per week were associated with higher odds of having smartphone addiction.Parents should be more alert and vigilant about this finding.Hence,parents should limit their children from spending too much of time with smartphone in order to prevent their children from getting smartphone addiction.

Prevalence of anxiety among gestational diabetes mellitus patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND A diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM)negatively influences maternal mental health.There is a lack of systematic review and meta-analysis on prevalence of anxiety among GDM women.AIM To pool data from existing literature to determine the pooled estimates for the prevalence of anxiety among women diagnosed with GDM.METHODS We searched multiple databases including MEDLINE,Cinahl,PubMed and Scopus to identify studies published up to 31 October 2019 with data on the prevalence of anxiety among women diagnosed with GDM.Data were extracted from published reports.Estimates were pooled using random-effects metaanalyses.RESULTS We reviewed 19 abstracts,retrieved 10 articles and included three studies incorporating 12744 GDM women from three countries.The pooled prevalence of anxiety was 29.5%(95%CI:6.9,52.0)among GDM women.CONCLUSION Prevalence of anxiety among GDM women was high.We suggest that epidemiological studies on anxiety should be conducted urgently as it merits clinical attention.In addition,it is important to identify factors associated with anxiety among women diagnosed with GDM.

Prevalence,awareness and control of hypertension in Malaysia from 1980-2018:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Hypertension is a common public health problem worldwide and is a well-known risk factor for increased risk of cardiovascular diseases,contributing to high morbidity and mortality.However,there has been no systematic review and meta-analysis of a multiethnic population such as that of Malaysia.AIM To determine the trend in prevalence,awareness and control rate of hypertension in Malaysia.METHODS Systematic searches were conducted in six databases(PubMed,Scopus,Ovid,CINAHL,Malaysian Medical Repository and Malaysia Citation Index)for articles published between 1980 and 2018.Two authors reviewed the studies and performed quality assessment and data extraction independently.Pooled estimates of hypertension prevalence,awareness and control rate were calculated using the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model.Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed.RESULTS We included 56 studies involving a total of 241796 participants.The overall pooled prevalence of hypertension aged≥18 years was 29.7%.The prevalence of hypertension was the lowest in the 1980s(16.2%,95%confidence interval(CI):13.4,19.0),increasing up to 36.8%(95%CI:6.1,67.5)in the 1990s,then decreasing to 28.7%(95%CI:21.7,35.8)in the 2000s and 26.8%(95%CI:21.3,32.3)in the 2010s.The prevalence of awareness was 51.4%(95%CI:46.6,56.3),while 33.3%(95%CI:28.4,38.2)of those on treatment had achieved control of their blood pressure.CONCLUSION In Malaysia,three in ten adults aged≥18 years have hypertension,while four in ten adults aged≥30 years have hypertension.Five out of ten people are aware of their hypertension status and only one-third of those under treatment achieved control of their hypertension.Concerted efforts by policymakers and healthcare professionals to improve awareness and control of hypertension should be of high priority.

Effects of vitamin E on stroke: a systematic review with meta- analysis and trial sequential analysis

There are several previous studies on the association of vitamin E with prevention of stroke but the findings remain controversial.We have conducted a systematic review,meta-analysis together with trial sequential analysis of randomised controlled trials to evaluate the effect of vitamin E supplementation versus placebo/no vitamin E on the risk reduction of total,fatal,non-fatal,haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke.Relevant studies were identified by searching online databases through Medline,PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.A total of 18 studies with 148016 participants were included in the analysis.There was no significant difference in the prevention of total stroke(RR(relative risk)=0.98,95% CI 0.92-1.04,p=0.57),fatal stroke(RR=0.96,95% CI 0.77-1.20,p=0.73)and non-fatal stroke(RR=0.96,95% CI 0.88-1.05,p=0.35).Subgroup analyses were performed under each category(total stroke,fatal stroke and non-fatal stroke)and included the following subgroups(types of prevention,source and dosage of vitamin E and vitamin E alone vs control).The findings in all subgroup analyses were statistically insignificant.In stroke subtypes analysis,vitamin E showed significant risk reduction in ischaemic stroke(RR=0.92,95% CI 0.85-0.99,p=0.04)but not in haemorrhagic stroke(RR=1.17,95%CI 0.98-1.39,p=0.08).However,the trial sequential analysis demonstrated that more studies were needed to control random errors.Limitations of this study include the following:trials design may not have provided sufficient power to detect a change in stroke outcomes,participants may have had different lifestyles or health issues,there were a limited number of studies available for subgroup analysis,studies were mostly done in developed countries,and the total sample size for all included studies was insufficient to obtain a meaningful result from meta-analysis.In conclusion,there is still a lack of statistically significant evidence of the effects of vitamin E on the risk reduction of stroke.Nevertheless,vitamin E may offer some benefits in the prevention of ischaemic stroke and additional well-designed randomised controlled trials are needed to arrive at a definitive finding.PROSPERO registration number:CRD42020167827.