Nutrition for mental health
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OF late, a great deal of attention has been placed on the issue of malnutrition in Malaysia. However, there has been very little discussion on its impact on mental health.Considering that approximately one in three Malaysian adults suffer from a mental illness, the far-reaching implications of malnutrition on mental health needs to be examined closely.Growing research literature indicates that nutrition has both direct and indirect effects on mental health, well-being and mood.A 2017 study found the consumption of a Mediterranean-style diet for over three months was associated with improved mental health outcomes in the form of lower levels of depression and anxiety, improved ability to cope with stress and better quality of life. This diet involves a high intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, grains, fish and unsaturated fat, and low consumption of processed foods such as snacks.
Greater diversity of vegetable intake was associated with higher positive emotions and reduced depression, anxiety and negative emotions, while diversity of fruit intake was additionally correlated with better mental health, happiness, relationships and overall quality of life. Reduced intake of processed snacks was associated with improved mental health, coping skills and quality of life.The effects of nutrition on children and adolescent mental health are especially significant. Most studies conclude that a poor diet (be it low consumption of nutritional foods or high consumption of refined carbohydrates) is linked to worsening cognition (for example, difficulty concentrating), increased risk of mental disorders and poor emotional regulation, which have long-lasting consequences in adulthood.
When one considers the extensive effects of nutrition on mental health, recent report findings on the situation of nutrition in Malaysia are particularly alarming.The 2018 Global Nutrition Report states that Malaysia faces the triple burden of malnutrition: overweight, anaemia and childhood stunting. These conditions are being seen in both B40 and M40 population groups.This suggests serious barriers or obstacles in accessing good nutrition among the general public, an unacceptable situation for an upper-middle income country like Malaysia.A Khazanah Research Institute report last year showed that rising food prices resulted in lower-income households (those earning below RM5,000) spending more on food at home but affording and consuming less of it.
Harnessing the power of senior citizens
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I REFER to the letter “Tough road for the elderly to traverse” (The Star, June 13). I fully agree with the writer, who has plainly laid out the problems we oldies face in today’s environment. Certainly, with better healthcare and living conditions, many of us are able to live much longer compared to our own parents and their ancestors.But this situation is not confined to Malaysia alone. It’s a global phenomenon wherein the more advanced the country, the longer the lifespan of its people. It’s how we tackle the “new world” that we suddenly find ourselves in that befuddles many of us. How do we cope with the IT world that has taken over?Take my own case as an example. I am 82 years of age and was deeply involved with the overall global warming/climate change business model until I threw in the towel when I turned 80. I gave up because of my age, the total collapse of the carbon market and also to care for my stroke-stricken wife.
Until then, I was doing okay and secured some lucrative contracts with a public listed company. Despite my departure from the business world, I still think that there are ample opportunities for like-minded entrepreneurs in developing biofuels, methane and carbon capture for energy generation (the solar field is too crowded already) plus other initiatives like using waste as alternative fuel.What I have in mind is to go beyond global warming. We have a core of fully qualified professionals whose expertise is still valid and vital. We also have some very well-trained teachers in English, Maths and Science. Many of these retirees are available to us if we can access those who are still keen to teach.For years, I have been toying with the idea of forming a corporation (I have even chosen the name “The Sunshine Club”) to organise this new work force to make their services available. Why are we talking about hiring foreign English language teachers when we have some available locally who retired before their time?
Control use of plastic bags
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JOHOR BARU: Johor should emulate other countries which have managed to control the use of plastic bags.Green Earth Society Johor president P. Sivakumar said many developed nations had done this and that local businesses and consumers must support the move for zero plastic usage as it was a good initiative.He said in certain countries, retailers were allowed to sell only reusable bags to consumers at a reasonable price as part of measures for zero plastic usage.“Affordable reusable bags will encourage more users to stop using plastic and bring their own bags when out shopping,” Sivakumar said in response to the Penang government’s move in asking businesses in the state to stop dispensing plastic bags on Mondays starting from next month.
The latest move is an expansion of Penang’s initiative towards zero plastic bag usage which began in July 2009 and has since widened to charges of 20sen per bag.Sivakumar hoped Johor government would discuss with stakeholders on how much to charge for a bag to discourage consumers from even buying them.“A grace period of three months should be given to all hypermarkets and supermarkets to sell only reusable bags to consumers,” he added.
Better protection for kids
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THE pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was first made available in our country in 2005. Within a few years, healthcare professionals in Malaysia had begun calling for the inclusion of PCV into our national immunisation programme (NIP) following the growing practice in other countries.This move reflected widespread recognition of the vaccine’s importance in preventing some of the most devastating diseases caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium. Based on Malaysian studies, its impact is profound, as shown below:
2. S. pneumoniae is believed to cause 23.4% of bacterial meningitis (inflammation of the brain membrane) cases in our country;
3. Bacteraemia (blood infection), which may lead to shock and organ failure, occurs in about 30 in 100,000 children under five years old in Malaysia; and
4. There are about 500,000 cases of pneumococcal otitis media (middle ear infection resulting in deafness) in children under two years old every year.
For the parents and other family members, there is untold grief and trauma when any child becomes permanently disabled or dies as a result of pneumococcal disease. Parents not only have to care for their sick children, but most low- or middle-income families will also have to struggle with debilitating hospital bills. Their livelihood may be put at risk if they have to take time off work, leading to salary cuts or even job loss. This can put tremendous stress on the individuals, disrupt everyday lives and even break some families apart.As a children’s health advocacy initiative by parents, we in MyHealth Outreach were very moved by the plight of all parents and children affected by pneumococcal disease. Thus, we decided to play our role and actively advocate for the inclusion of PCV in the NIP. In 2013, we ran a “Say YES to Pneumococcal Disease Protection” petition. Over 20,000 parents and paediatricians expressed their desire to have PCV in the NIP. We presented the results to our former health minister but were sorely disappointed that the ministry was unable to fulfil the public’s wish.
Fast forward to 2018, we were very encouraged when Pakatan Harapan pledged, in its election manifesto, to provide PCV to all Malaysian children under two years old. Inspired by our current Health Minister’s passion and commitment to realise the promise, MyHealth Outreach started an online petition in English (http://chng.it/D9nB4zYxc6) and Bahasa Malaysia (http://chng.it/p7kshMBsG4) in April.
PLASTIC PROBLEM: BURIED BUT NOT LAID TO REST
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New dumping ground Heaps of plastic waste piled two storeys high and packed in sacks at an industrial plot opposite Taman Sri Wang across the railway track in Sungai Petani, Kedah. — LO TERN CHERN/The Star
Unscrupulous plastic recyclers have resorted to devious means to continue their business in the dark. Garbage is being moved from areas of trouble and dumped elsewhere and it is being buried or burnt to give the impression that it is being dealt with. Instead, it’s creating a bigger problem.SUNGAI PETANI: Penang did not want them, so plastic waste processing factories have moved here.After a major crackdown “shooed away” illegal plastic waste processing facilities from Penang, many of them moved south, just 30 minutes from Butterworth.Checks revealed that industrial plots as large as 4ha and vacant warehouses have become processing facilities for plastic waste that needed to be sorted by quality and cut into bits before being recycled.
The Kedah government is on alert and has ordered the closure of several illegal factories.A few factories in the Sungai Petani Industrial Area had their gates sealed with yellow tape by local authorities.However, forklifts on the factory grounds could still be seen shifting large sacks of shredded plastic piled two storeys high.Kedah environment and climate change committee chairman Simon Ooi said so far, 14 illegal plastic waste factories in Sungai Petani had been ordered to cease all operations, but he was disappointed that some of them were still running.“We have stopped issuing new licences for recycling plastic, and more drastic action will be taken very soon.
Senior bank officer cheated of RM3mil in online love scam
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KEPALA BATAS: A 51-year-old senior bank officer was cheated of approximately RM3.38mil in a love scam which began when the victim met a man on a dating app.The victim had met the man named John Eric Chen through the Coffee Meets Bagel app in August 2018.He then offered the victim an opportunity to work together in a project worth USD$25mil but the victim was requested to make a pre-payment of USD$38,000 (RM157,624).
North Seberang Prai OCPD ACP Noorzainy Mohd Noor said the suspect had also promised to marry the victim in the near future.He added that the victim made 19 bank transfers into three accounts given by the suspect between August 2018 and September 2018."As the victim believed the suspect, she had made transfers amounting to USD$815,331 which is equivalent to RM3.38mil. After the victim transferred the money, the suspect could no longer be reached," said ACP Noorzainy.He added that this led the victim to make a police report on June 4 for further action.He added that the money was a combination of her salary, savings and money borrowed from family members.ACP Noorzainy advised people to be alert and not be deceived by the tactics of online love scam syndicates.He reminded the public to not easily fall in love or be persuaded with people using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Wechat."The case is now being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating," he said.
Read more: Senior bank officer cheated of RM3mil in online love scam
Ikut bajet, bukan tukar serba baharu
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S:Boleh bagi tip sesuai yang boleh diamalkan supaya kita lebih berhati-hati berbelanja di musim perayaan?
J: Ada beberapa tip. Pertama, kita kena pastikan berapa jumlah wang yang kita perlukan untuk sambut perayaan. Biasanya kita sudah boleh agak setiap tahun berapa jumlah wang berdasarkan keperluan keluarga. Biasanya akan lihat perbelanjaan beli keperluan seperti juadah raya, persiapan pakaian dan seterusnya kalau balik kampung perbelanjaan seperti minyak, tol dan duit raya. Jadi kita kena siapkan berapa jumlah diperlukan, contohnya RM3,000, bagaimana nak dapat jumlah itu. Kalau kita tidak rancang, kita akan guna gaji pada bulan itu untuk perbelanjaan raya. Ini yang sebenarnya masalah sebab biasanya pendapatan bulanan sudah ada perbelanjaan tetap seperti bayaran kereta dan rumah. Bagi yang berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana, gaji bulanan biasanya memang ‘cukupcukup’ sahaja. Jadi kalau guna sejumlah wang gaji untuk perbelanjaan raya, ia akan mengganggu perbelanjaan tetap. Sebab itu ada yang tidak dapat menyelesaikan bayaran rumah dan kereta... jadi tertunggak. Ada juga yang meminjam dengan along, dapat cepat, kalau pinjam dengan bank, lambat diluluskan.
Ini akan jadi perangkap mereka.
Kalau boleh buat persiapan awal atau menyimpan sedikit demi sedikit dan akhirnya menjelang raya, duit sudah cukup. Seterusnya belanja berdasarkan keperluan dan sepatutnya kalau pakaian, peralatan masih elok, gunakan atau yang kreatif perabot boleh letak sarung baharu. Jadi tidak membabitkan perbelanjaan besar. Apa yang berlaku sekarang kebanyakan pengguna menganggap bila hari raya, semua benda nak baharu, kereta, perabot dan pakaian semua serba baharu. Ini akan menyebabkan mereka terbelenggu dengan masalah kewangan. Kita melihat ini lebih kepada pengguna yang pendapatan rendah dan sederhana. Yang pendapatan tinggi tiada isu kerana ada kemampuan untuk berbelanja. Yang berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana akan terbeban dengan masalah kewangan jika tidak dapat merancang kewangan dengan baik.
‘Educate public on tackling e-waste’
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PETALING JAYA: While many Malaysians are aware that e-waste can be harmful if mishandled, few of them know where and how to properly dispose of unwanted electrical and electronic items.Media coordinator Hana Jimi from Shah Alam said she never used to think about it until she came across reports on the problems of e-waste.“Even after I realised that I shouldn’t be discarding e-waste like other rubbish, I don’t know what is the right channel to do it properly.“In my hometown in Gemencheh, my family used to discard bulky electronic items by selling them to a collector,” said the 30-year-old.
“I just don’t think it’s okay to throw them away as I do with other types of waste,” he said.The tractor operator from Jelapang said that while he had seen e-waste collection points at malls in Kuala Lumpur, there was none where he lives.Chen said more needed to be done to create awareness among consumers, especially those in rural areas.
TNB BERI JAMINAN AKAN PULANGKAN WANG JIKA TERLEBIH CAJ
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Tenaga Nasional Bhd. (TNB) menafikan satu mesej tular dalam media sosial kononnya Ahli Lembaga Pengarah TNB telah menerima arahan kerajaan untuk menaikkan tarif elektrik sebanyak 30 peratus.TNB dalam kenyataan memberitahu, mesej tersebut yang kononnya ditulis oleh seorang pekerja TNB adalah palsu dan tidak berasas.Selain itu, jelas kenyataan itu lagi, TNB tidak mempunyai warga kerja seperti yang dinamakan dalam mesej berkenaan.“Justeru TNB menasihatkan orang ramai untuk mengabaikan mesej tersebut dan tidak berkongsi akan mesej tular berkenaan. Untuk makluman, tarif elektrik ditetapkan oleh pihak Suruhanjaya Tenaga,” jelas kenyataan tersebut.
Justeru, TNB harus tampil dengan solusi baru dan munasabah untuk mengira bil secara prorata ketika ini diragui oleh masyarakat. En. Saravanan Thambirajah selaku Presiden Persatuan Pengguna dan Tenaga Malaysia berpendapat "Kesilapan teknikalnya adalah bagaimana mereka membuat pengiraan bacaan anggaran. Ujar beliau kita perlu tunggu hasil laporan Kementerian terlebih dahulu sebelum mengambil apa-apa tindakan."
Saksikan liputan penuh di https://youtu.be/DmhKL6f4XoA
Health scheme needs a shot in the arm
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IT is time for the Selangor state government to start addressing the numerous complaints against the Peduli Sihat medical assistance scheme, which has been suspended since the beginning of this month, and rectify the problems plaguing this novel and noble healthcare initiative.
1. The Peduli Sihat cards are not being topped up every year for those who have used up their annual entitlement, which is RM200 for individuals and RM700 for families. How is the topping-up done?
2. There has been a lull in new applications as many of those who had applied for the card last year have yet to receive it. Many have lost their enthusiasm over this medical assistance scheme due to the uncertainty, red tape and waiting period for the applications to be processed. These issues must be resolved quickly.
3. Cards that are ready should be posted to the applicants, as the address and telephone numbers are provided. A lot of cards are currently piled up in the state representatives’ offices because they are not being immediately handed out or collected by the applicants.
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