Browsing by Person "Soyiri, Ireneous"

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Cohorts and community: a case study of community engagement in the establishment of a health and demographic surveillance site in Malaysia
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2014-05-06) Allotey, Pascale; Reidpath, Daniel; Devarajan, Nirmala; Rajagobal, Kanason; Yasin, Shajahan; Arunachalam, Dharma; Imelda, Johanna Debora; Soyiri, Ireneous; Davey, Tamzyn; Jahan, Nowrozy; The Seaco Team
Background Community engagement is an increasingly important requirement of public health research and plays an important role in the informed consent and recruitment process. However, there is very little guidance about how it should be done, the indicators for assessing effectiveness of the community engagement process and the impact it has on recruitment, retention, and ultimately on the quality of the data collected as part of longitudinal cohort studies. Methods An instrumental case study approach, with data from field notes, policy documents, unstructured interviews, and focus group discussions with key community stakeholders and informants, was used to explore systematically the implementation and outcomes of the community engagement strategy for recruitment of an entire community into a demographic and health surveillance site in Malaysia. Results For a dynamic cohort, community engagement needs to be an ongoing process. The community engagement process has likely helped to facilitate the current response rate of 85% in the research communities. The case study highlights the importance of systematic documentation of the community engagement process to ensure an understanding of the effects of the research on recruitment and the community. Conclusions A critical lesson from the case study data is the importance of relationships in the recruitment process for large population-based studies, and the need for ongoing documentation and analysis of the impact of cumulative interactions between research and community engagement.
Coming of age, becoming obese: a cross-sectional analysis of obesity among adolescents and young adults in Malaysia
(BMC, 2016-10-13) Pell, Christopher; Allotey, Pascale; Evans, Natalie; Hardon, Anita; Imelda, Johanna D; Soyiri, Ireneous; Reidpath, Daniel; SEACO Team
Background Malaysians have become increasingly obese over recent years. The transition from adolescence to early adulthood is recognized as critical for the development of eating and activity habits. However, little obesity-related research focuses on this life stage. Drawing on data from a health and demographic surveillance site in Malaysia, this article describes obesity and overweight amongst adolescents and young adults in a multi-ethnic population. Methods Data were collected at the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) in Segamat District, Johor. In this dynamic cohort of approximately 40,000 people, 5,475 were aged 16–35 in 2013–2014. The population consists of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indigenous (Orang Asli) families in proportions that reflect the national ethnic diversity. Data were collected through health profiles (Body Mass Index [BMI] measurements in homes) and self-report questionnaires. Results Age and ethnicity were associated with overweight (BMI 25.0–29.9Kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30Kg/m2). The prevalence of overweight was 12.8 % at ages 16–20 and 28.4 % at ages 31–35; obesity was 7.9 % and 20.9 % at the same age groups. The main ethnic groups also showed varied patterns of obesity and overweight at the different age groups with Chinese at lowest and Orang Asli at highest risk. Level of education, employment status, physical activity and frequency of eating out were poorly predictive of overweight and obesity. Conclusion The pattern of overweight and obesity in the 16–35 age group further highlights this as a significant period for changes in health-related behaviours. Further longitudinal research is however needed to confirm the observed pattern and investigate causal factors.
Determinants of asthma length of stay in London hospitals: individual versus area effects
(2011) Soyiri, Ireneous; Reidpath, Daniel; Sarran, Christophe
Humans as Animal Sentinels for Forecasting Asthma Events: Helping Health Services Become More Responsive
(Public Library of Science, 2012-10-31) Soyiri, Ireneous; Reidpath, Daniel
The concept of forecasting asthma using humans as animal sentinels is uncommon. This study explores the plausibility of predicting future asthma daily admissions using retrospective data in London (2005–2006). Negative binomial regressions were used in modeling; allowing the non-contiguous autoregressive components. Selected lags were based on partial autocorrelation function (PACF) plot with a maximum lag of 7 days. The model was contrasted with naïve historical and seasonal models. All models were cross validated. Mean daily asthma admission in 2005 was 27.9 and in 2006 it was 28.9. The lags 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 were independently associated with daily asthma admissions based on their PACF plots. The lag model prediction of peak admissions were often slightly out of synchronization with the actual data, but the days of greater admissions were better matched than the days of lower admissions. A further investigation across various populations is necessary.
Poor glycaemic control and its metabolic and demographic risk factors in a Malaysian community-based study
(Springer, 2018-01-25) Reidpath, Daniel; Soyiri, Ireneous; Jahan, Nowrozy K.; Mohan, Devi; Ahmad, Badariah; Ahmad, Mohtar Pungut; Kassim, Zaid Bin; Allotey, Pascale
Objectives The lack of population-based evidence on the risk factors for poor glycaemic control in diabetics, particularly in resource-poor settings, is a challenge for the prevention of long-term complications. This study aimed to identify the metabolic and demographic risk factors for poor glycaemic control among diabetics in a rural community in Malaysia. Methods A total of 1844 (780 males and 1064 females) known diabetics aged ≥ 35 years were identified from the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) health and demographic surveillance site database. Results 41.3% of the sample had poor glycaemic control. Poor glycaemic control was associated with age and ethnicity, with older participants (65+) better controlled than younger adults (45–54), and Malaysian Indians most poorly controlled, followed by Malay and then Chinese participants. Metabolic risk factors were also highly associated with poor glycaemic control. Conclusions There is a critical need for evidence for a better understanding of the mechanisms of the associations between risk factors and glycaemic control.
Semistructured black-box prediction: proposed approach for asthma admissions in London
(Dove Press, 2012-07-16) Soyiri, Ireneous; Reidpath, Daniel
Asthma is a global public health problem and the most common chronic disease among children. The factors associated with the condition are diverse, and environmental factors appear to be the leading cause of asthma exacerbation and its worsening disease burden. However, it remains unknown how changes in the environment affect asthma over time, and how temporal or environmental factors predict asthma events. The methodologies for forecasting asthma and other similar chronic conditions are not comprehensively documented anywhere to account for semistructured noncausal forecasting approaches. This paper highlights and discusses practical issues associated with asthma and the environment, and suggests possible approaches for developing decision-making tools in the form of semistructured black-box models, which is relatively new for asthma. Two statistical methods which can potentially be used in predictive modeling and health forecasting for both anticipated and peak events are suggested. Importantly, this paper attempts to bridge the areas of epidemiology, environmental medicine and exposure risks, and health services provision. The ideas discussed herein will support the development and implementation of early warning systems for chronic respiratory conditions in large populations, and ultimately lead to better decision-making tools for improving health service delivery.
Validity of self-measured waist and hip circumferences: results from a community study in Malaysia
(BMC, 2013-10-05) Reidpath, Daniel; Cheah, Julius Chee-Ho; Lam, Fui-Ching; Yasin, Shajahan; Soyiri, Ireneous; Allotey, Pascale
Background Measures of central adiposity are better predictors of adverse health events than BMI. Nonetheless, BMI is more widely used in health research. One reason for this may be the limited research supporting the self-measurement of waist and hip circumference. The lack of validity studies is particularly acute in Asia. The main objective was to establish the validity of self-measurement of waist and hip circumference in a community setting and the correlation of those measures with BMI, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels. Methods A community based, cross-sectional survey. A “healthy living expo” at a shopping mall in a rural town on peninsular Malaysia One hundred and thirty six (136) individuals volunteered to participate in the study, 125 of whom met the inclusion criteria. The ethnic distribution of the participants was 80% Chinese, 17% Malay and 3% Indian. Most participants were female (60%), with participants’ ages ranging from 18 to 78 years (mean, 47.2). Self and assisted measurements of waist and hip were taken. Blood pressure, non-fasting blood glucose, height, and weight were also measured. Bland Altman plots and Lin’s concordance coefficient were used to measure agreement between self and assisted measures. Pearson’s correlation was used to examine the association of self and assisted measures with blood pressure, blood glucose, and BMI. Results There was a downwards bias in self measured waist (-0.81 cm) and hip (-1 cm) circumferences compared with assisted measures. The concordance for the self and assisted measures of waist, hip and the ratio of the two were, respectively, .96, .93 , and .84. The correlation between measures of central adiposity and BMI, blood pressure and blood glucose were similar for self and assisted measures. Conclusion The results provide additional support for the use of self-measurement of waist and hip circumference studies of central adiposity, but is limited by the specificity of the setting.