This qualitative study aimed to examine cultural differences in knowledge, attitudes and practices related to erectile dysfunction (ED) utilizing focus group discussion. Six focus groups consisting of 66 men, 45 -70-y-old were conducted -two Malay groups (n ¼ 18), two Chinese groups (n ¼ 25) and two Indian groups (n ¼ 23). Participants were purposively recruited from the general public on a voluntary basis with informed consent. Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative data analysis software ATLASti. The Malay and Chinese traditional remedies for preventing or treating ED are commonly recognized among all races. Many have a negative perception of someone with ED. Malay and Chinese men tended to blame their wife for their problem and thought that the problem might lead to extra-marital affairs, unlike the Indian men who attributed their condition to fate. Malays would prefer traditional medicine for the problem. The Chinese felt they would be more comfortable with a male doctor whilst this is not so with the Malays or Indians. Almost all prefer the doctor to initiate discussion on sexual issues related to their medical condition. There is a need for doctors to consider cultural perspectives in a multicultural society as a lack of understanding of this often contributes to an inadequate consultation. Keywords: qualitative research; focus group discussion; culture; erectile dysfunction IntroductionErectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the persistant inability of the male to attain and maintain a penile erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse. 1 -3 It is one of the most common chronic medical disorders in men over the age of 40 y. 4 It has been reported that ED is present in approximately half of all men between the ages of 40 and 70. 5 It has been noted that the prevalence rate is associated with age. Baseline data from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study suggested that the continued prevalence of minimal, moderate, and complete ED was as high as 52%. The prevalence of minimal ED was 25%, and 10%, respectively. 6 In Malaysia, results from a cross-national study on the prevalence and correlates of ED conducted by the National Population and Family Development Board and the New England Research Institutes, USA showed that more than 40% of men between 40 and 45 y of age are affected by ED. 7 ED is a commonly reported condition among Malaysian men with more than 70% of the sample saying that they would seek medical consultation on ED. It is estimated to affect approximately one million men in Malaysia. This is an estimated figure (of 1%) from the worldwide estimate of more than 100 million men. 7 Variations in the perceptions and attitudes towards ED are linked to cultural, ethnicity and other social factors. Locally, there has been a scarcity of data pertaining to cultural, ethnicity and sociodemographic variables with relation to ED. This study was carried out to examine the cultural differences between the Malays, Chinese and Indian's knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practices related ...
This paper describes selected maternal and child health indicators based on a cross-sectional study of citizens and migrants in Sabah, Malaysia. A total of 1,515 women were interviewed from a multi-stage random sample of households in eight urban centers. Among the 1,411 women in the sample who had experienced a pregnancy before, 76% were local citizens and 24% were migrants. There were statistically significant differences between citizens and migrants in ethnicity, religion, education, household income, and access to treated water supply and sanitary toilet facilities. Significantly fewer migrants practiced any form of contraception and obtained any antenatal care during any pregnancy. Furthermore, citizens tended to initiate care as early as three months but migrants as late as seven months. Despite these differences, only the infant mortality rate, and not pregnancy wastage, was statistically significantly higher among migrants. Pregnancy interval was also similar between the two groups. The influence of several socioeconomic factors on pregnancy wastage and infant mortality was explored.
This paper highlights women's perceptions of sildenafil citrate (Viagra, Pfizer). It is based on a qualitative study on perceptions of erectile dysfunction in the Malaysian multicultural society. Six focus groups were conducted, consisting of 69 women, aged between 40 and 70 years, recruited from the general public and who had given informed consent. The findings revealed that the women were aware of erectile dysfunction and Viagra. Due to their concern about the negative aspects of Viagra, the Chinese and Malay traditional methods of treatment were commonly mentioned. The women from three ethnic groups viewed the possibility of their husband starting to take Viagra with lots of suspicion, mistrust and fear. They would prefer their husband discussing with them the issue of resorting to taking Viagra. The Chinese and Indian women perceived that if a man takes Viagra, it will boost his ego and he will feel more manly. Indian women felt that a man taking Viagra is proof of his love for his wife. The Malay women felt that a man would be ashamed and have a low self-esteem if he were to resort to taking Viagra. Although Viagra is meant for the male, understanding of women's perception of it is beneficial for a couple's sexual relationship.
This paper highlights women's perceptions of sildenafil citrate (Viagra, Pfizer). It is based on a qualitative study on perceptions of erectile dysfunction in the Malaysian multicultural society. Six focus groups were conducted, consisting of 69 women, aged between 40 and 70 years, recruited from the general public and who had given informed consent. The findings revealed that the women were aware of erectile dysfunction and Viagra. Due to their concern about the negative aspects of Viagra, the Chinese and Malay traditional methods of treatment were commonly mentioned. The women from three ethnic groups viewed the possibility of their husband starting to take Viagra with lots of suspicion, mistrust and fear. They would prefer their husband discussing with them the issue of resorting to taking Viagra. The Chinese and Indian women perceived that if a man takes Viagra, it will boost his ego and he will feel more manly. Indian women felt that a man taking Viagra is proof of his love for his wife. The Malay women felt that a man would be ashamed and have a low self-esteem if he were to resort to taking Viagra. Although Viagra is meant for the male, understanding of women's perception of it is beneficial for a couple's sexual relationship.
This paper assessed the role of public health schools on maternal and child health programmes in the Asia Pacific region. Economic development and its associated effects, particularly in the ASEAN countries, for example, migrant labour, ageing, environmental health, turbulence and social climate, has a tremendous impact on maternal and child health. Based on these current issues, it is evident that public health schools can play a major role in maternal and child health in terms of policy formulation and programme development. Several areas were proposed as to what schools of public health can do, namely, through networking, communication, research and training.
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