Social networking sites are popular among university students, and students today are indeed spoiled for choice. New emerging social networking sites sprout up amid popular sites, while some existing ones die out. Given the choice of so many social networking sites, how do students decide which one they will sign up for and stay on as an active user? The answer to this question is of interest to social networking site designers and marketers. The market of social networking sites is highly competitive. To maintain the current user base and continue to attract new users, how should social networking sites design their sites? Marketers spend a fairly large percent of their marketing budget on social media marketing. To formulate an effective social media strategy, how much do marketers understand the users of social networking sites? Learning from website evaluation studies, this study intends to provide some answers to these questions by examining how university students decide between two popular social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter. We first developed an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model of four main selection criteria and 12 sub-criteria, and then administered a International Journal of Cyber Society and Education 82 questionnaire to a group of university students attending a course at a Malaysian university. AHP analyses of the responses from 12 respondents provided an insight into the decision-making process involved in students' selection of social networking sites. It seemed that of the four main criteria, privacy was the top concern, followed by functionality, usability, and content. The sub-criteria that were of key concern to the students were apps, revenue-generating opportunities, ease of use, and information security. Between Facebook and Twitter, the students thought that Facebook was the better choice. This information is useful for social networking site designers to design sites that are more relevant to their users' needs, and for marketers to craft more effective marketing communications strategies.
Objectives
Bariatric Surgery is a major breakthrough in diabetes care. Complete remission is attainable in a great percentage of patients. However, there is slow progress in this procedure in Malaysia. With the overwhelming rate of obesity and diabetes in the country, the potential advantage of this treatment modality is underestimated. Conventional diabetes care only controls 22% of the diabetics and healthcare expenditure has ballooned due to complications costs amounting to at least RM 2 billion in a year eating up 10% of the government's budget on healthcare. Furthermore, this burden will increase in the next decades as diabetes is predicted to increase by 69% by 2030. While this procedure is beneficial, it is an expensive intervention with risks of complications. This raises the question of whether bariatric surgery is cost-effective in the context of this country? Evidence must be available to decision-makers weighing the risk-benefit ratio of the procedure. This study aims to assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery in managing obesity among the Malaysian population. It will specifically investigate the short term and long-term effects of the procedure investigating anthropometric and metabolic disease blood indicator changes while assessing direct, indirect costs, QALYs gained and complications associated with the procedure.
Methods
We will review charts of all patients who have undergone bariatric surgery procedures from 2014 to 2016 in HUKM, Department of Surgery and in Andrea Bariatric Surgery Clinic. We will look at their weight, BMI, and some blood parameter results before and after surgery one-year post-surgery for the short-term effect and 3–5 years post-surgery for the long-term effect. We will also assess the mortality risks and complications of the procedures. Study Population: All patients who underwent Bariatric Surgery procedures from 2014–206 in HUKM and in Andrea Bariatric Surgery ClinicStudy Site/Location: HUKM, Department of Surgery & Andrea Bariatric Surgery Clinic
Results
N/A - Study Protocol
Conclusions
The result of this study can contribute to the decision making of patients, doctors, and Health Insurance Companies in Malaysia
Funding Sources
Center for Research Management, Taylor's University.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.