The trend of global prevalence for hypertension has been dramatically increasing for the past two decades in Southeast Asian countries. A systematic review aiming to assess the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors among the urban population in Southeast Asian countries was conducted. We performed database searches of PubMed and Web of Science and performed meta-analysis to determine the pooled prevalence estimate. The overall pooled prevalence estimate of hypertension for Southeast Asian urban population was 33.82%. Among this, 33.98% of hypertension was reported in the community and 32.45% among adolescents in school. The common risk factors that we found were male, ethnicity, education and socioeconomic level, body mass index, waist circumference, smoking, and dyslipidaemia. The review indicates an urgent need for primary and secondary prevention activities. Therefore, a multisectoral and intersectoral approach and collaboration should be undertaken to improve the overall health outcomes of all populations in all Southeast Asian countries.

Introduction healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 occupational transmission and subsequently, exposing patients and others. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and examine the characteristics and predictors of HCWs with COVID-19 infection in a Malaysian district. Methods this is a cross-sectional study of HCWs working at Cheras District Health Office, with COVID-19 infection from 1 st January to 31 st October 2021. Data was obtained from the Occupational Safety and Health Unit which included variables of basic sociodemography, type of disease acquisition; healthcare-acquired (HA) or community-acquired (CA), and management outcome. Data was analysed descriptively and cases with type of disease acquisition were compared using logistic regression. Results the prevalence of HCWs with COVID-19 was 17.4%. Majority aged 30-39, female gender and Malay ethnicity (51.7%, 60% and 91.7% respectively). Main comorbidities included hypertension (3.3%), diabetes mellitus (3.3%), both hypertension and diabetes mellitus (2.5%) and obesity (4.2%). Smokers, pregnant mothers and non-immunized made up only small proportions (4.2%, 4.2%, and 4% respectively). Paramedics were the most infected proportion (68.4%). About one third of cases managed COVID-19 patients directly (37.5%). Similar proportion had HA infection (29.2%). Smaller proportion (12.8%) needed hospitalization. The early source of infection was HA (January-April). Later, the trend shifted towards CA (May-October). Male gender (OR 3.22, 95% CI = 1.43 - 7.29, p<0.05), smoker (OR 10.84, 95% CI = 1.17 - 100.77, p<0.05), and those who manage COVID-19 cases were more likely to acquire occupational COVID-19 infection (OR 2.28, 95% CI = 1.02 - 5.09, p<0.05). Conclusion continuous occupational infectious disease control measures is necessary to reduce the disease burden. Future research on HCWs with COVID-19 infection with larger scale is recommended to determine the final model for predictors of infection.

Background Japanese encephalitis (JE) is one of the major mosquito-borne infectious diseases in the Western Pacific region, accounting for 20-30% of mortality cases. The JE virus (JEV) seroprevalence fluctuations indicate that continuous research is important for prevention and control activities. By mapping JEV seroprevalence by age stratification, the population profile for immunity and susceptibility can be identified to aid in vaccination programme planning. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the trend of age-specific JEV seroprevalence. Method Systematic search was conducted on all studies conducted on JEV seroprevalence between the years 2010 until 2019. The two search engines used were PubMed and Web of Science. Eligible criteria were set and articles were screened according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Three investigators cross-checked all articles assigned. Data were extracted into Excel sheet and results were tabulated in tables and graphs accordingly. Result Four studies from four countries (Taiwan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, India) met the eligibility criteria. The papers show an increasing trend of JEV seropositivity in all countries as their populations reach older age cohorts. Nonetheless, there were slight downtrend notches seen among young adults in Taiwan and India before increasing again after reaching more mature ages. South Korea has the highest seroprevalence rate (97.8% to 98.3%) among the compared countries; this is most likely because it was the earliest to introduce the JEV vaccine in 1967 which was later made mandatory in early 1980s, while India has the lowest seroprevalence rate (12.9% to 18.1%). Among the old-vaccination-naïve population, seropositivity is commonly derived from natural infection. Conclusion Decreases in reported JE cases are mainly due to immunisation. As JEV is expected to remain in nature and the zoonotic chains, the risk of infection will persist. Hence, it is important to apply JEV vaccination protocols in national immunisation programmes with priority given to those at the young childhood stages.

Smoking is a public health problem worldwide and in Malaysia. According to serial Malaysian data, the age of initiation of smoking are at a younger age and the prevalence of smoking in Malaysia among adults and adolescents have not reduced much over the years. Smoking has a detrimental heath effect to smokers as well as those passively smoking. Younger age of smoking is linked to increased dependence of nicotine and many other high-risk behaviours. The two main issues which is addressed here is younger age of initiation of smoking and smoking bans in Malaysia. The factors which contribute to younger age of smoking initiation is tobacco factors, school factors, family factors and social factors. Challenges to smoking bans in Malaysia includes poor enforcement and innovation of tobacco products in Malaysia. A comprehensive approach including the mPOWER strategy should be carried out to address this problem towards achieving Tobacco Endgame.

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BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening reduces mortality yet remains underutilized. Low health literacy may contribute to this underutilization by interfering with patients' ability to understand and receive preventive health services. E-media decision-aids approach have been shown to improve saliency and foster informed decision making. OBJECTIVE This systematic literature review aims to determine the effectiveness of CRC screening promotion using e-media decision-aids in primary health care (PHC) settings. METHODS Three databases (Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) were used to search for eligible studies, published from January 2010 until December 2020. Reviewers independently selected studies that quantitatively evaluated e-media decision-aids compared to usual care or other conditions. Cochrane’s tools were applied for quality assessment. Effectiveness of CRC screening e-media decision-aids was primarily measured by CRC screening completion rate. Secondary outcomes were spoiled kit return rate, CRC screening awareness and belief, ability to state screening test preference, readiness to receive and ordered CRC screening test. Meta‐analysis were conducted to calculate pooled estimates of CRC screening completion rate by using RevMan 5.4.1 software. RESULTS Ten studies comprising of 9393 patients were included in this review. Follow-ups were from three to twenty-four months. Most studies focused to improve screening in vulnerable populations that tend to be under-screened. Two types of decision-aid interventions used were video and interactive multimedia program, with duration between six to fifteen minutes. Data from nine feasible studies with low or some risk of bias were synthesized for meta-analysis. Random‐effects model revealed CRC screening promotions using e-media decision aids were almost twice likely to have screening completion than their comparisons (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03‐2.62, p<0.05). All secondary outcomes showed positive effects of CRC screening interventions, despite some were not significant. CONCLUSIONS CRC screening promotion through e-media have great potential to increase screening participation in PHC settings. Development of culturally tailored decision aids aiming for CRC screening completion should be prioritized, and made integrated into existing CRC screening programs. CLINICALTRIAL Prospero (registration ID CRD42020220301)

Colorectal cancer (CRC)-screening reduces mortality, yet remains underutilized. The use of electronic media (e-media) decision aids improves saliency and fosters informed decision-making. This systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of CRC-screening promotion, using e-media decision aids in primary healthcare (PHC) settings. Three databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library) were searched for eligible studies. Studies that evaluated e-media decision aids compared to usual care or other conditions were selected. Quality was assessed by using Cochrane tools. Their effectiveness was measured by CRC-screening completion rates, and meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the pooled estimates. Ten studies involving 9393 patients were included in this review. Follow-up durations spanned 3–24 months. The two types of decision-aid interventions used were videos and interactive multimedia programs, with durations of 6–15 min. Data from nine feasible studies with low or some risk of bias were synthesized for meta-analysis. A random-effects model revealed that CRC-screening promotion using e-media decision aids were almost twice as likely to have screening completion than their comparisons (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03–2.62, p < 0.05). CRC-screening promotion through e-media has great potential for increasing screening participation in PHC settings. Thus, its development should be prioritized, and it should be integrated into existing programs.