Pusat Pengajian Sains Kesihatan - Tesis

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    The association of internet addiction with physical activity and weight status of students in health campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia
    (2025-06)
    Zainal, Aiman Zafri
    Internet addiction (IA) is characterized by an inability to control internet use, leading to negative consequences in daily life. IA has garnered attention due to its potential impact on overall health, particularly its association with weight status and obesity-related issues. IA also give association with physical activity level. This study examines the prevalence of IA and its association with weight status and physical activity among students at the USM Health Campus (USMKK). A cross-sectional study was conducted, with 205 participants completing self-reported physical questionnaire, including Internet Addiction Test (IAT), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The prevalence of internet addiction was discovered to be 62.9%, with the majority of individuals was female (72.9%) and Malay (91.5%), with a mean age of 22 years (SD=1.3). The mean BMI was 22.91 kg/m2 (SD=4.84), and 59.5% were categorized as having a normal BMI. Fisher’s Exact test revealed that there is significant association between internet addiction status and BMI categories (0.03). There is no significant association between IA status and Physical Activity (0.254). Furthermore, no significant relationships were discovered between internet addiction and demographic variables such as gender, ethnicity, category of household income, or scholarship receiver. The findings indicate that demographic characteristics alone may not be strong predictors of internet addiction, emphasizing the need for additional study into psychological and behavioural aspect. Future longitunidal studies with bigger, more diverse samples are needed to better understand the connections between variables and broader implications on IA especially among university students
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    Meal pattern of university students and its relationship with body mass index (BMI) and the risk of eating disorders
    (2025-06)
    Nazman, Bibi Imin Haiyin
    Eating disorders are critical psychiatric disorders that are determined by ongoing abnormalities in eating habits and associated thinking and feelings about foodstuff, body weight, and build up. This cross-sectional study examined the correlation between the meal pattern, body mass index (BMI), and risk of an eating disorder (ED) amongst the 206 undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus. Anthropometric measurements were taken and data recorded using structured self-administered questionnaires which were developed based on NHMS 2014 Meal Pattern Questionnaire and the Malay-validated EAT-26. Results showed that breakfast was the greatest meal not consumed with 56.3% eating it less than four times a week whereas lunch and dinner were taken regularly. Majority of students accessed food in campus cafeteria and dined alone. A remarkable 90.3% were found at risk of ED and it was considerably more prevalent in females (p=0.031) and Malay students (p=0.040). Nevertheless, statistical results indicated no significant association between frequency of breakfast (p=0.673), lunch (p=0.840), dinner (p=0.779), or heavy meals after dinner (p=0.111) with BMI, or with ED risk (all p-values > 0.05). These results show that abnormal meal patterns do not necessarily have direct implications in expedited health outcomes, unless other lifestyle and psychological factors are taken into account. The research presents the necessity of interaction between nutrition and mental health intervention specifically designed to address the university population to promote better health behavior and assist in the prevention of ED
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    Gender differences in dietary habits, lifestyle practices and nutritional status of university students
    (2025-06)
    Azlili, Nurul Shafiza
    Gender differences in dietary habits, lifestyle practices, and nutritional status among university students remain inconsistent across populations, yet understanding these differences is important for effective health promotion. This cross-sectional study examined associations between gender and fruit intake, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI) among university students. The results indicated no significant association between gender and fruit intake (p = 0.509), with a slightly higher proportion of males (66.7%) reporting fruit consumption compared to females (59.5%), suggesting that fruit intake was relatively similar across genders, consistent with previous findings in Turkey (Çapar et al., 2024). In contrast, lifestyle practices differed significantly by gender (p = 0.009), with a larger proportion of females (81.0%) classified as sedentary compared to males (55.6%), and more males reporting moderate physical activity (44.4%) than females (19.0%), aligning with prior research indicating higher physical activity levels among male university students (Schmidt et al., 2022; Espada et al., 2023). Nutritional status, assessed via BMI, showed no significant gender differences (p = 0.706), although males had a slightly higher prevalence of obesity and females a higher prevalence of underweight, reflecting patterns observed in multinational university populations (Pengpid & Peltzer, 2014). These findings suggest that while gender may not strongly influence fruit intake or BMI among university students, it is associated with lifestyle behaviors, particularly physical activity Interventions to promote physical activity may need to target female students specifically, whereas dietary and nutritional strategies may benefit from a universal approach. Overall, this study highlights the nuanced role of gender in shaping health behaviors and nutritional outcomes within the university context
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    The relationship between dietary vitamin b12 intake, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), with the risk of dementia among older adults in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan
    (2025-06)
    Nizam, Siti Nur Atikah Shaiful
    Dementia is a growing public health concern among the aging population and is influenced by multiple factors including nutrition and body composition. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and vitamin B12 intake with the risk of dementia among 132 older adults aged 60 years and above in Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM), Kelantan. Sociodemographic information, anthropometric data, dietary intake, and cognitive function scores were collected. 24 hours diet recall is used to measure the vitamin B12 intake, so that the entire’s diet of the participants can be captured. Then, for the cognitive status, Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III is used as a screening tool to identify if the participants have the high risk of develop dementia or not. The results revealed a significant negative correlation between BMI (r = -0.185, p = 0.034) and WHR (r = -0.191, p = 0.029) with cognitive status, indicating that higher body fat was associated with lower cognitive performance. In contrast, vitamin B12 intake showed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.395, p < 0.001), showing that vitamin B12 might help protect brain health. However, these three variables are not the only factors influencing dementia risk. There are many other factors like increasing age, lower education level, or limited household income may also influence the risk of dementia among older adults. Nonetheless, it is suggested that more studies should be conducted to provide a clearer understanding of the multiple factors contributing to cognitive decline among older adults, particularly in relation to nutritional intake and body composition, to ensure effective strategies can be implemented for the prevention of dementia
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    The association between body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage and circadian rhythm disturbances among undergraduate students in Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian
    (2025-07)
    Ropi, Raihana Basirah Mat
    Body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage are important indicators of nutritional status. Despite their importance, many still experience issues related to BMI and body fat that may be associated with circadian rhythm disturbances, especially among university students. The objective of this research was to study the association between BMI, body fat percentage, and circadian rhythm disturbances among undergraduate students in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Kubang Kerian. This study was a cross-sectional study conducted on a total of 125 undergraduate students in Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian by using a self-administered online questionnaire. The subjects in this study were chosen using a simple random sampling and the data analysis was analysed using the SPSS version 29.0 software. The association between BMI, body fat percentage, and circadian rhythm disturbances was tested using Pearson’s Chi-Square test. Among the analyses, one of the six chrononutrition behaviours, evening latency, had a statistically significant association with BMI (p = 0.002). However, no significant association was found between body fat percentage and any of the six chrononutrition behaviours. In conclusion, this study suggests that efforts are required to promote better circadian rhythm management among university students to support healthy BMI and body fat percentage status