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- PublicationThe association of food insecurity status with physical activity levels and dietary practices of students in Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia(2025-07)The issue of food insecurity among university students is becoming an increasing concern. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between food insecurity status and physical activity levels, as well as dietary practices, among students at the Health Campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia. This cross-sectional study, involving 263 students at the Health Campus, was selected using convenience sampling. Food insecurity status was assessed using the Malaysian Food Insecurity Experience Scale (MFIES), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to measure physical activity levels. The dietary practices questionnaire, taken from the 2019 National Health and Mobility Survey, was used to assess dietary practices. The results indicated that 74.6% of undergraduate students at USM Health Campus faced food insecurity. It was categorized as 49.8% faced mild food insecurity, 22.1% faced moderate food insecurity, and 2.7% faced severe food insecurity. Food insecurity is associated with the primary source of allowances, as students who received loans reported higher levels of food insecurity (p = 0.029). However, there is no association between food insecurity and physical activity levels and dietary practices (p > 0.05). In conclusion, food-insecure students exhibit moderate physical activity levels, and their dietary practices remain unaffected. Future research can conduct further research on the long-term effects of food insecurity status among univesity students
- PublicationKnowledge, attitude, and practice towards probiotics for the gut-skin axis among health science students in health campus Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan(2025-07)Studies on Health science students regarding knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of probiotics for the gut-skin axis remain under exploration, as they are expected to have higher KAP on these issues. Thus, this study aims to observe the extent of KAP results among the students of Health Science in USM, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, and determine the association with their sociodemographic factors. A cross-sectional study was utilized using a convenience sampling method. Respondents’ data were obtained using an online questionnaire via a Google Form that was distributed through a few WhatsApp groups. Pearson’s chi-square test was used for statistical significance of association at p < 0.05 using SPSS version 29. Among 193 respondents, the majority possessed poor knowledge, moderate attitudes, and poor practice. Educational level was strongly associated with attitudes (p = 0.046) and practices (p = 0.035). A statistically significant association was detected between hometown demographic area and attitude (p = 0.021). Overall, no sociodemographic variables showed a significant association with knowledge. Attitudes were significantly associated with educational level and demographic area. Practice was merely significantly associated with educational level. The outcome suggested a disconnect between their understanding and actual behaviors. These results highlight the need for well-coordinated educational programs aimed at enhancing knowledge and affecting the application of probiotics for gut-skin health
- PublicationThe association between dietary sodium intake, dialysis adequacy, nutritional status and blood pressure among haemodialysis patients in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM)(2025-07)This study investigates the association between dietary sodium intake, dialysis adequacy, nutritional status, and blood pressure among haemodialysis patients in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM). A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 73 patients aged 18 and above. Data were collected through standardised questionnaires, 2-day 24-hour dietary recalls, dialysis adequacy (Kt/V), and Dialysis Malnutrition Score (DMS). The median dietary sodium intake was 591 mg (IQR: 729 mg) in males and 400 mg (IQR: 526 mg) in females. Median systolic blood pressure was 166 mmHg (IQR: 35 mmHg) for males and 158 mmHg (IQR: 44.75 mmHg) for females. Diastolic blood pressure medians were 80 mmHg (IQR: 21 mmHg) for males and 78.5 mmHg (IQR: 17 mmHg) for females. Most participants achieved adequate dialysis. There was no difference in the median DMS between females (15, IQR: 5) and males (14, IQR: 5). The study found no statistically significant association between dietary sodium intake, dialysis adequacy, nutritional status, and blood pressure among the haemodialysis patients. However, to better understand the factors influencing blood pressure and improve patient outcomes, further research is recommended to explore potential causal relationships that can optimise dietary management among haemodialysis patients
- PublicationChrononutrition behavior and its association with dietary intake and sleep quality among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia(HPUSM)(2025-07)Chrononutrition behavior is the timing of the food intake that interacts with body’s circadian rhythm and plays an important role in managing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). An irregular and inconsistent eating pattern with poor sleep quality can negatively impact the glycemic control and overall health outcomes among individual with T2DM. Aim of this study to determine the chrononutrition behavior and its association between dietary intake and sleep quality among T2DM patients in HPUSM. A total of 103 T2DM patients were recruited from clinics include Klinik Pakar Perubatan, Klinik Rawatan Keluarga and Klinik Dietetik Pesakit Luar based on inclusion criteria. Study subjects were selected through purposive sampling method. Questionnaires include sociodemographic data and biochemical data of subjects. Besides that, chrononutrition behavior was assessed using Chrononutrition Profile Questionnaire (CPQ-M) while dietary intake assessed through 24-hour diet recall and sleep quality assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Malay (PSQI-M). This study showed that mean age for T2DM patients in HPUSM was 64.43 (12.59) years old. Most of the subjects reported for having good chrononutrition behavior with mean wake time and bedtime was 5:41 (1.06) am and 10:55 (1.42) p.m. overall, most of the participant consume meal within recommended with of mean percentage energy intake from carbohydrate (CHO) was 54.43%, protei was 17.45% and fat was 28.17%. Moreover, sleep quality prevalence showed that 98.1% of the subjects had poor sleep quality. In terms of association between dietary intake and chrononutrition behavior, data were analyzed using Independent One-way ANOVA test, there are significant difference found in total energy and macronutrient intake with evening eating behavior and eating window (p= <0.05). Data analyzed using Pearson Chi Square test showed that there was a statistically significant association between night eating behavior and sleep quality (X2 =11.687, p = 0.03) but no significant association between other chrononutrition behavior. In conclusion, poor chrononutrition behavior and poor sleep quality were important among T2DM patients
- PublicationThe association between food literacy with carbohydrate and sucrose intake among type ii diabetes patients in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM)(2025-07)Poor diet quality and malnutrition are linked with poorer outcomes following cancer treatment. This study determined the association between diet quality and malnutrition status among cancer patients in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM). This cross-sectional study involving 91 cancer patients receiving both outpatient and inpatient cancer treatment, selected using convenience sampling. A set of validated questionnaires were used which consists information of socio-demography, 3-days diet recalls and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Diet quality status was assessed using the new standardized Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (S-MHEI). Majority of the participants were women (70.3%), identified as Malay (95.6%), married (84.6%), had a secondary school level of education (60.4%), unemployed (61.5%), and reported a monthly income of less than RM2,500 per month (78%). Among the participants, 70.3% reported a family history of cancer. Most participants did not have major comorbidities, with 63.7% without hypertension, 69.2% without type 2 diabetes mellitus, 74.7% without hyperlipidaemia, 92.3% without heart disease, and 93.4% without kidney disease. The most common cancer type was reproductive cancers (27.5%), while the majority were diagnosed at Stage 3 (35.6%). More than half of the participants (53.8%) were receiving chemotherapy as their primary treatment. The mean diet quality score among cancer patients was 56.43 ± 13.12. The minimum and maximum scores were 25 and 85, respectively. This indicated that the overall diet quality of the sample needs an improvement. Based on the three-category classification, 58.2% of patients were classified as well-nourished (SGA A), 27.5% of patients were classified as moderately malnourished or at risk (SGA B), while 14.3% were classified as severely malnourished (SGA C). This indicated a high prevalence of malnutrition among cancer patients in this study. There was no statistically significant mean difference of diet quality between well-nourished (SGA A) and malnourished (SGA B+C) patients (p = 0.228). This suggests that other factors beyond diet quality such as nutrition knowledge, psychological well-being, functional limitations, treatment burden, food accessibility, and the level of social or caregiver support may play a more significant factor in malnutrition status among cancer patients
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- PublicationLocalization of the primary gustatory cortex within insular lobe using structural white matter connectivity evidence as determined by diffusion tensor imaging(2022-12)The primary taste cortex localisation has been inconsistent in previous research. The current study aims to divide the insular lobe into subdivisions to determine investigate their individual structural connectivity to taste processing areas of the brain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diffusion-weighted imaging data from thirteen healthy female participants were obtained from a databse built in 2013. All participants had normal taste perception as determined by the modified Monell-Jefferson Taste & Smell Questionnaire. Probabilistic tractography using FMRIB Software Library (FSL) was performed to determine the relative connection probability of eleven divisions of insula lobes to target brain areas shown to be associated with taste processing, namely amygdala, frontal operculum and ventral striatum. RESULTS: The inferior part of the middle lobe and the inferio-posterior part of the anterior lobe of the insula had the highest connection probability to the areas of taste processing targeted in this research. The posterior lobe of the insula had the least connection probability to all targets as shown in previous research, while the frontal operculum had widespread connection to all lobes of the insula. The results of this research are with the statistical value of p<0.05. CONCLUSION: The inferior aspect of the middle lobe and the inferio-posterior part of the anterior lobe of the insula had the highest probabilistic connection to the areas of taste processing making it highly probable to be the site for primary taste cortex.
- ItemMembangun satu model 'TAMAN BOTANIK 'SainS' yang mensinergikan unsur Sains dan sastera (puisi).(2014)Taman Botani merupakan satu taman yang mempamerkan pelbagai sepsis tumbuhan. Di Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) telah dibangunkan satu taman botanic yang keci! yang dikenali sebagai USM eco-hub yang menjadi satu aspek penting daripada konsep 'Universiti di dalam Taman' yang dibangunkan oleh USM dalam tahun 2001-2002 di mana wujudnya jalinan di antara peranan university sebagai satu intitusi pengajian tinggi dan alam sebagai sebahagian daripada Jatar ekoJogikal global.
- ItemWater Washing Pretreatment On Empty Fruit Bunches Of Oil Palm Waste(Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2011-10)The water washing pretreatment on empty fruit bunches (EFB) of oil palm waste has been investigated in this study, with the objective of removing some ash from the EFB to improve the quality of biomass. This study also investigated the effectiveness of water washing to remove ash by changing the appropriate parameters of the water washing pretreatment such as residence time, amount of water, type of water and use of soaking and stirring. Tap water and distilled water were solely used throughout the work. The original ash content for the unwashed EFB is 5.19 mf wt%. From this study, the average ash content of the washed EFB by soaking the feedstock of size 1-3 cm in 3 l of tap water for 5 min residence time at ambient temperature is found to be 2.95 mf wt%. It is found that the ash content less than about 3 mf wt% was successfully achieved. It also showed that tap water is as effective as distilled water in reducing ash in EFB. The electrical conductivity in waste liquor by soaking the feedstock for 5 min at ambient temperature in 3 l of tap water was 991 μS/cm and it was increased with the prolonged soaking time. The electrical conductivity in waste liquor was found to increase due to the diffusion of mineral and inorganic materials from biomass.
- ItemKEJIRANAN YANG SESUAI DIDIAMI: PERSEPSIPENDUDUK TERHADAP PERSEKITARAN YANG SESUAI DIDIAMI(2007-04)Research regarding the satisfaction of the residents towards the neighbourhood is not longer something new in Malaysia. Like foreign countries, quality of the neigbourhood environment is very much paid attention to. Thus, the neighbourhood quality also plays an important role as an indicator to measure the quality of life (kualiti hidup). The satisfaction level towards the neighbourhood gives an impact on the satisfaction for quality of life. In the foreign countries, "Liveable Neighbourhood", a neighbourhood which is suitable to stay in, is a policy or trend which intends to improve the neighbourhoods environment. Safety, accessibility and friendly to those who walk are the concept which they integrate in their neighbourhood. The aim for the "Liveable Neighbourhood" is to solve the problem which can cause the environment to be unsustainable. For instant, overly dependent to the private transportation, interaction among the people has been decreasing and extreme usage of the natural resources such as petroleum and natural gas. The residents' perception is important as it is a demand for their neighbourhood so that it could improve their quality of life. From this research, even every individual has their unique characteristic in judging their environment, however, the criteria in choosing a suitable neighbourhood is based on the accessibility. It is related to the condition of the traffic in Pulau Pinang which is congestion occasional especially in the trade centre as well as the working area. Due to this reason, it is not surprise that accessibility is the main criteria for resident in choosing the liveable neighbourhood.
- ItemRekabentuk Sistem Konkrit Prestasi Tinggi Terhadap Ciri-Ciri Ketahanan(Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2006-06)Penggunaan konkrit berprestasi tinggi (KPT) semakin meluas di dalam industri pembinaan di Malaysia mahupun di seluruh dunia. Aplikasinya meliputi pembinaan bangunan tinggi, jambatan, empangan dan lebuh raya-lebuh raya pada kadar kekuatan dari 55 N/mm2 sehingga melebihi 124 N/mm2 . Objektif utama kajian ini adalah untuk merekabentuk KPT dan mengkaji prestasi bahan-bahan tambah bagi mengenal pasti kelebihan dan kekurangan setiap satunya terhadap prestasi dan ciri-ciri ketahanan. Beberapa sir! ujian dijafankan terhadap sifat kejuruteraan, kebolehke~aan, ketumpatan, halaju denyut ultrasonik, kekuatan mampat, kekuatan lentur, ujian kadar resapan, dan ujian ketelapan oksigen. Hasif daripada keputusan ujian makmat yang telah dijatankan menunjukkan bahawa bahan tambah super pempalstik (SP}, silika fume (SF) dan pemecut (ACC} memberikan kesan terhadap pencapaian kekuatan awal konkrit dan mengekalkannya hingga ke suatu jangka masa yang panjang. Manakala bahan isian polimer iaitu lateks stirena butadiena (SBR) dan cecair polimer resin epoksi (ER) boleh mempertingkat kekuatan lentur dan mempunyai ciri-ciri yang baik terhadap kadar resapan air dan ketelapan udara (oksigen).