Knowledge and Perception of Sexual Health among Medical Undergraduates: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Sexual health education is paramount in curbing the rising numbers of sexual transmitted diseases in Malaysia. Medical undergraduates which are the future frontier play an utmost role in educating and quell the social barrier in discussion on this taboo topic. We aimed to determine the knowledge, perception and factors affecting sexual health education among medical students in MMMC and to advocate sexual health education at primary level. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 309 respondents comprises of Year 3, 4 and 5. Results: There was significant association between age, gender, religion and ethnicity and sexual health knowledge and perception score. Pearson correlation coefficient shows there was positive correlation (r = 0.059) between total sexual health knowledge percentage score and total perception score but was not significant. Conclusion: Medical undergraduates should improve their knowledge and perception regarding sexual health education. It is recommended to implement sexual education in high school curriculum and institution of higher learning in Malaysia as it is not implemented yet here due to political and religion sensitivity. It is also important that students develop personalities that are ready to accept exchange and contribute sensitive issues such as sexual health.

The Relationship between Eating Disorders and Stress among Medical Undergraduate: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Eating disorders are compulsive behaviours that can consume a person’s life to the point of becoming life threatening. Medical college can be a very stressful time and previous studies had found that stress could be a main factor leading to higher risk of eating disorder. We aimed to determine the association between stress and eating disorders among undergraduate medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 respondents comprises of Year 3, 4 and 5 medical students in private medical college in Malaysia, assessed using self-administered questionnaires which consist of social demographic data, EAT-26 and Cohen Perceived Stress Scale. The response rate of this study was 77.4%. Results: With regards to EAT-26, 11.0% of medical students were at risk of developing eating disorder and from this students who have obese BMI status (25%) had 3.9 times more likely to develop eating disorder (95% CI: 1.4 - 10.9). There was significant association between those with unsatisfactory social relationship with friends and peers (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.0 - 5.9;p value 0.035) and risk of developing eating disorders (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.4 - 10.9;p value 0.007). For Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), 75.5% of the respondents were having high stress level. There was no significant association between stress and the risk of eating disorders with OR 1.0, 95% CI: 0.6 - 1.7;p value 0.887. Conclusion: Majority of medical undergraduates were under stressed and there was a risky trend toward eating disorders in medical. However, based on our results it did not portray any significant association between stress and risk of developing eating disorders. Nevertheless, it should not be completely neglected. It is important to increase the awareness of medical undergraduates regarding eating disorders and its complications.