Family planning is an important practice for women as it can help to improve
Despite various strategies, overweight and obesity problems are still increasingly prevalent worldwide with serious health outcomes. Consequently, the continuous demand for more effective, safe and acceptable therapies for reducing body weight is also escalating—including complementary and alternative therapies (CATs). The aim of this review is to provide a summary of the most commonly- and recently-used CATs, with evaluation of their safety and efficacy for weight loss. Electronic scientific databases such as Scopus, PubMed and EBSCO Host were explored for articles that reported CATs for overweight and obesity treatment from 2015 to December 2019. Only systematic reviews, meta-analysis and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English were included. Studies whereby CATs were not utilized for reducing body weight were excluded. Eight systematic reviews and meta-analyses and 11 additional RCTs with 765 participants (50.2% overweight and 49.8% obese) related to hypnotherapy, acupuncture and dietary supplements met the inclusion criteria. Their results suggested that spirulina, chitosan, probiotic, EPA + DHA, vitamin D, fiber, and herbal extract supplementation may all provide small reductions in body weight (ranging from 1-10 kg). Interestingly, hypnotherapy and acupuncture reported significantly greater reduction in body weight compared with placebo (p < 0.001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Nonetheless, the evidence is still relatively limited and not encouraging to provide a definitive conclusion due to the methodological shortcomings and the presence of adverse events in chitosan and fiber supplementation. Hence, studies of this nature need to be further replicated and improved to corroborate the efficacy and safety of the CATs to combat weight issues.
Currently, the development of information technology and the increase in the number of nursing students occur drastically. Based on this premise, the purpose of this article is to shed light into the future development of curriculum for the nursing field. Philosophy is considered one of the most important components of both education system and curriculum, because the educational philosophies reflect the social, economic and political aspects of a society, in which they are applied. As an educator, understanding the philosophy to be adapted in the curriculum and learning process is important, to provide a framework for the best performance of both the teacher and the student. In conclusion, it is important to implement the philosophy of curriculum in the education program as each philosophy aids in the principles and guidelines of the learning process. Globally, most programs are usually based on the philosophy related to that program. Therefore, as an educator, we must know the philosophical development of the curriculum of education, so that we are able to analyse and choose which is appropriate.
Introduction: Obesity and overweight are among the most serious public health issues that can threaten the well-being of individuals. Its increasing prevalence in Malaysia has inevitably caused many to additionally seek complementary and alternative therapies (CATs) to lose weight. This study intends to 1) assess the utilization and perception toward CATs among obese and overweight participants and 2) assess applicability, practicality, reliability and validity of the UPCATs-Malay. Materials and methods: It was conducted cross-sectionally on 30 students and staff. Responses were analyzed using SPSS (v21). Results: Among the participants (age = 26.17±8.23 years; female = 66.7%; students = 63.3%), 40.0% were overweight and 60.0% were obese. Overall, 23.3% of the participants had previously used some types of CATs to lose weight, with herbal or dietary supplements (20.0%) being the most common. Participants’ attitudes towards CATs were mostly influenced by the internet (93.3%). Most believed that CATs modalities were safe (53.3%) and not a threat to public health (70.0%). The majority of participants (53.3%) were also considering joining any CATs-based weight management programmes. Additionally, the questionnaire was considered clear, comprehensive and not difficult to complete (< 5 minutes). The overall reliability was 0.711 (domain range = 0.641-0.881). Majority of individual items in UPCATs-Malay correlated better with their domains compared to other domains supporting validity. Conclusion: Overall, positive perceptions towards CATs were apparent and the questionnaire was reliable and valid. Further approaches should be taken especially on the identification of safe, viable CATs modalities and their role in weight management.
Objectives The global epidemic of overweight and obesity presents a major challenge in the health status of the society. Their prevalence is at an alarming rate worldwide due to poor compliance with conventional treatment and high rates of relapse, thus increasing demand for an effective and safe alternative approach such as hypnotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of hypnotherapy for weight loss and to compare these among selected socio-demographics. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 30 students and staff of a public university in Terengganu, Malaysia using convenience sampling. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS 23.0. Results Among the respondents (age = 26.17 ± 8.23 years; female = 66.7%; students = 63.3%), 40.0% were overweight and 60.0% were obese. Results indicated excellent feasibility as determined by participants’ satisfaction towards the clarity of hypnotherapist’s voice (93.3%), the suitability of content (86.7%) and time spent for the session (90.0%). Good overall acceptability (>60.0%) was also reported regarding hypnotherapist professionalism, the environment and perceived usefulness of hypnotherapy. Obese individuals were significantly more satisfied towards the hypnotherapist environment than overweight respondents (p=0.015). Additionally, no adverse effects were reported after the intervention. Conclusions This evidence signalled that hypnotherapy is a promising alternative tool in assisting overweight and obese individuals to lose weight. Extensive research is needed to substantiate its role in weight management programs for its full benefits.
Complementary and alternative therapies (CATs) are tremendously popular as an adjunct treatment for treating various health conditions but limited literature is available on the extent of use and perception among adolescents. This study aimed to 1) assess the general utilization and perception toward CATs and 2) compare the perception between CATs users and non-CATs users among secondary school students in Kuala Terengganu. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 99 students of a secondary school in Terengganu, Malaysia using convenience sampling. Responses were analysed via descriptive analysis and non-parametric tests using SPSS (v21). Among the participants (age = 15.3 ± 0.6 years; female = 78.8%), 23.2% had previously used some types of CATs, with herbal or dietary supplements (56.5%) being the most common. Participants’ utilization towards CATs were mostly influenced by their family and friends (82.6%). The students gained information about CATs from the internet (67.7%), followed by physicians (62.6%) and family/friends (61.6%). Most students have favourable opinions regarding CATs usage with no significant association between CATs users and non-users (p > 0.05). Nonetheless, CATs users scored higher in their beliefs that CATs has fewer side effects in comparison to conventional medicine (p = 0.050). From the findings, this study has provided some early evidence on the positive perceptions harboured by adolescents in Terengganu regarding CATs. Further approaches should be taken to educate the students about the fundamentals of CATs use to ensure their safety and efficacy.
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