Daniel Reidpath

Queen Margaret University | QMU · Institute for Global Health and Development

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a burden on our health system, and highlighted the importance of teleconsultation as an alternative mode. In Bangladesh, care seeking through telemedicine had increased up to 20 folds during pandemic. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess the influence of service quality and satisfaction on the intention...

BACKGROUND Risk factors for obesity prevalence can help target treatment, but less is known about risk factors for obesity incidence which may be distinct and more pertinent for preventing excessive weight gain. OBJECTIVE To explore factors associated with child/adolescent BMI and childhood obesity incidence over 5 years in Malaysia including pare...

Objectives: To assess the prevalence and factors associated with multimorbidity in a community-dwelling general adult population on a large Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) scale. Design: Population-based cross-sectional study. Setting: South East Asia Community Observatory HDSS site in Malaysia. Participants: Of 45 246 particip...

Background Mental health remains a highly stigmatized area of healthcare, and people often conceal their concerns rather than seek assistance or treatment. The Women Support Initiative Forum (WSIF) is a social media platform established in 2018 to provide expert and peer-led psychosocial support services to women of all ages in Bangladesh. The anon...

Objective: To determine the proportion of adults with hypertension who reported: (i) having been previously diagnosed with hypertension; (ii) taking blood pressure-lowering medication; and (iii) having achieved hypertension control, in five health and demographic surveillance system sites across five countries in Asia. Methods: Data were collect...

Hypertension might be a contributing factor of mental illness. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between different levels of hypertension care and mental distress among hypertensive individuals in Malaysia. We constructed a hypertension care cascade using data of 6531 hypertensive individuals aged ≥ 35 years that were collect...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) management imposes a tremendous psychological burden on patients. The study investigates the association between DM treatment with blood glucose (BG) control and common mental health conditions. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1821 individuals with DM in a community-based survey conducted in 2013. Information on r...

Background: In 2016, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) established a teleconsultation service called Shastho Batayon to increase access to physicians. During COVID-19 pandemic, health care access became limited due to movement restrictions. In response, GoB made Shastho Batayon toll free, publicized the number through media, increased the number o...

Mental illness is rising worldwide and is more prevalent among the older population. Among others, socioeconomic status, particularly income, has a bearing on the prevalence of mental health. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism that explains the association between income and mental health. Hence, this study seeks to examine the...

Background Seroprevalence studies have been carried out in many developed and developing countries to evaluate ongoing and past infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Data on this infection in marginalized populations in urban slums are limited, which may offer crucial information to update prevention and mitig...

Introduction Breast cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries often present at an advanced stage. This qualitative study elicited views regarding the challenges and opportunities for breast cancer screening and early detection among women in a low-income semi-rural community in Segamat district, Malaysia. Methods Individual semi-structur...

Research has shown that religion is associated with a better quality of life (QoL). This study aims to examine ethnic differences in the association between religion and the QoL of older adults in a predominantly Muslim population within a multicultural setting. Two-wave data of 3,810 participants consisting of mostly Muslims and older adults aged...

Introduction More than two-thirds of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), resulting in a significant economic burden in these settings. In this systematic review, we consolidate the existing evidence on the cost of dementia in LMICs. Methods Six databases were searched for original research reporting on the costs...

There is a significant challenge in global health and development research that pivots on the difficulties of delivering (cost-)effective treatments or interventions that are scalable and are transferable across settings. That is, how does one deliver “true effects”, proven treatments, into new settings? This is often addressed in pragmatic trials...

Introduction: With no treatment for dementia, there is a need to identify high risk cases to focus preventive strategies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where the burden of dementia is greatest. We evaluated the risk of conversion from mild cognitive ompairment (MCI) to dementia in LMICs. Methods: Medline, Embase, PsycI...

Objectives This study profiled the prevalence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) in the community and compared their resistome and genomic profiles with isolates from clinical patients through whole-genome sequencing. Methods Fecal samples from 233 community dwellers from Segamat, a town in southern Malaysia, wer...

Despite increasing mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in low- and middle-income countries, information on the estimation of 10-year CVD risk remains to be sparse. Therefore, this study was aimed at predicting the 10-year CVD risk among community dwellers in Malaysia and at identifying the association of distal (socioeconomic charac...

Cognitive impairment (CI) is a common aftermath of stroke and associated with higher stroke burden due to its strong relationship with dementia and functional dependence. However, CI is usually underreported due to the prominence of physical disability represented by stroke. Cross-cultural studies on dementia have also demonstrated that the interpr...

Introduction COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown as prevention and control measure, forced people globally to limit their movements and to stay at home for extended period of time. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of lockdown on intimate partner violence in Bangladesh. Methods We conducted a secondary research by employing a Po...

Objective We aimed to rapidly assess the health system impact of COVID-19 in the urban slums of Bangladesh. Design Setting and participants A cross-sectional survey among 476 households was conducted during October–December 2020 in five selected urban slums of Dhaka North, Dhaka South and Gazipur City Corporation. In-depth interviews with purposiv...

The DePEC-Nutrition trial is a complex dietary and behavioural intervention of salt intake reduction combined with increased high-nitrate vegetable consumption among Malaysian middle-aged and older adults with elevated blood pressure. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the trial. Participants were recruited from the Sou...

The Government of Bangladesh imposed a movement control order as a mass quarantine strategy to control the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Adherence to the home quarantine may put children at risk by missing routine vaccination. In this study, we investigated the impact of COVID-19 on child routine immunization in a rural area of B...

Introduction Accurate sodium intake estimates in adults with elevated blood pressure are essential for monitoring salt reduction progress and preventing cardiovascular diseases. However, sodium assessments are challenging in this high-risk population because many commonly used antihypertensive drugs alter urinary sodium excretion. Despite the high...

Background: Although mental health is an important part of health and wellbeing, very little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of marginalized communities like urban slum dwellers. Our study estimated the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and insomnia among the residents of the informal settlements of...

More than two thirds of people with dementia are living in the low‐ and middle‐ income countries (LMICs). The growing dementia prevalence will result in significant economic burden in these countries. This systematic review aimed to summarise the evidence on the economic burden of dementia in LMICs. Seven databases (EconLit, EMBASE, PubMed, Cochran...

Breast cancer (BC) is the commonest cancer in Malaysia. Delayed diagnosis is a significant cause of BC mortality in the country. Early diagnosis and screening are vital strategies in mortality reduction. This study assessed the level of utilisation and barriers for breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammogram in a...

Few studies to date have evaluated dementia care in Malaysia, and the focus of studies has primarily been on epidemiological and laboratory research. In this study, we aimed to identify potential challenges for the delivery of dementia care in Malaysia and priorities for research and enhancing existing dementia care. This study used thematic analys...

Background: The study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its associated factors among urban slum dwellers who migrated from different rural parts of Bangladesh. Methods: The present study analyzed data from a Migration and Mobility Determinants on Health survey and was conducted in 2017 among 935 migrant slum dwellers...

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves healthcare organizations in the UK, US, and Europe have called for greater access to palliative care. This call has been echoed by palliative care practitioners in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While the need for palliative care may be universal, there are cultural and resource difference...

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread globally, and the government of each affected country is publishing the number of deaths every day. This official figure is an underestimate as it excludes anybody who did not die in a hospital, who did not test positive, who had a false result, or those who recovered on their own without a...

Background: The needs of patients with multiple sclerosis have been well-studied in high-income, high-prevalence countries but few studies have been based in low- and middle-income countries where resources are relatively scarce. As such, little is known about the needs of patients living in these countries. Objective: The study seeks to develop a...

Title: Implementing COVID-19 Health and Safety measures at the urban factories for curbing the spread among the workers: a qualitative investigation in Bangladesh Authors: Dipika Shankar Bhattacharyya, Sohana Shafique, Goutam Kumar Dutta, Daniel D Reidpath Word Limit-250 Count: 248 Introduction: In Bangladesh, the vast majority of urban factory...

Although several studies have already been carried out in investigating the general profile of the gut mycobiome across several countries, there has yet to be an officially established baseline of a healthy human gut mycobiome, to the best of our knowledge. Microbial composition within the gastrointestinal tract differ across individuals worldwide,...

Background: The intense interactions between people, animals and environmental systems in urban informal settlements compromise human and environmental health. Inadequate water and sanitation services, compounded by exposure to flooding and climate change risks, expose inhabitants to environmental contamination causing poor health and wellbeing and...

Following stroke, individuals require ongoing screening, diagnosis and monitoring for cognitive impairment. Services and policies around these vary widely between settings, and reports from many countries highlight persistent under-diagnosis of cognitive impairment in the months and years after stroke. Missed and delayed diagnosis of post-stroke co...

Soil-transmitted helminth infections (STHs) are recognized as a major health issue among socio-economically deprived communities. However, information is still lacking regarding the prevalence rates of STHs in the broader community across different countries in the tropics. This community study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for...

Background: The intense interactions between people, animals and environmental systems in urban informal settlements compromise human and environmental health. Inadequate water and sanitation services, compounded by exposure to flooding and climate change risks, expose inhabitants to environmental contamination causing poor health and wellbeing and...

This study uses a case study approach to examine the development of a massive open online course (MOOC) on intervention and implementation research in infectious diseases of poverty for learners in low- and middleincome countries (LMICs). Implementation research (IR) seeks to understand and address barriers to effective implementation of health int...

Background There is a lack of research investigating the confluence of risk factors in urban slums that may make them accelerators for respiratory, droplet infections like COVID-19. Our working hypothesis was that, even within slums, an inverse relationship existed between living density and access to shared or private WASH facilities. Methods In...

No studies have investigated the influence of ethnicity in a multi-ethnic middle-income country with a long-standing history of co-habitation. Stool samples from 214 Malaysian community members (46 Malay, 65 Chinese, 49 Indian, and 54 Jakun) were collected. The gut microbiota of the participants was investigated using 16S amplicon sequencing. Ethni...

Introduction Increasing urban populations have led to the growth of informal settlements, with contaminated environments linked to poor human health through a range of interlinked pathways. Here, we describe the design and methods for the Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) study, a transdisciplinary randomised trial eva...

Dementia represents a key impending global health challenge. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the current evidence on nutritional interventions for the prevention of dementia in developing economies in East-Asia. Four comprehensive databases were searched from inception until January 2020: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, and Scopus. The...

Quality of life (QOL) is a proxy of health and social well-being. Hence, it is vital to assess QOL as it informs the strategies of policymakers to enhance the living conditions in communities. Rural areas in emerging economies are underserved in terms of modern facilities and technologies, which impact QOL. To address this, this study investigated...

BACKGROUND Knowledge and skill gaps exist among people from developing and developed countries when locating and using health information. These gaps can be minimized through improved awareness of health information sources. OBJECTIVE This research study aims to assess the preferred source of health information used by university students from dev...

Background There is a lack of research investigating the confluence of risk factors in urban slums that may make them accelerators for respiratory, droplet infections like COVID-19. Our working hypothesis was that, even within slums, an inverse relationship existed between living density and access to shared or private WASH facilities. Methods In...

Objectives Religion and spirituality gain importance as a person ages. Research has shown that religion has a salutary effect on mental health, and it is associated with health differently across ethnic groups. The current study examined ethnic differences in the association between religion and mental health among older adults in a predominantly M...

Introduction Global population ageing is one of the key factors linked to the projected rise of dementia incidence. Hence, there is a clear need to identify strategies to overcome this expected health burden and have a meaningful impact on populations’ health worldwide. Current evidence supports the role of modifiable dietary and lifestyle risk fac...

Nutritional Interventions for the Prevention of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Developing Economies of East Asia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – CORRIGENDUM - Andrea McGrattan, Carla van Aller, Alla Narytnyk, Daniel Reidpath, Pascale Allotey, Devi Mohan, Blossom Stephan, Louise Robinson, Mario Siervo

Background: A key focus for dementia risk-reduction is the prevention of socio-demographic, lifestyle, and nutritional risk factors. High sodium intake is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease (both are linked to dementia), generating numerous recommendations for salt reduction to improve cardiovascular health. Objective: This...

Species of fungi belonging to the order Mucorales can be found everywhere in the environment. Gilbertella persicaria, which belongs to this order, have often been isolated from fruits and in water systems. However, there has been no report of isolation of this fungus from human samples. During a gut mycobiome study, from the Segamat community, Gilb...

Introduction Dementia represents one of the impending global health challenges, and low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are projected to greatly contribute to the rising dementia global burden. Currently, there is a lack of pharmacological treatment for dementia and therefore research efforts have focused on prevention, with the identification...

Introduction: Perineal trauma has short- and long-term debilitating effects on women. This study aimed to determine if selective episiotomy is protective against spontaneous perineal trauma and Obstetric anal sphincter injury following singleton vaginal birth in Malaysian tertiary hospitals and to identify the contributing factors. Methods: This st...

To date, non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) have been the mainstay for controlling the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While NPIs are effective in preventing health systems overload, these long-term measures are likely to have significant adverse economic consequences. Therefore, many countries are currently considering to lift t...

Dear Editor, Yardley and Rolph have rightly pointed out in their editorial the importance of being able to provide palliative care in the midst of the pandemic. Patients with COVID-19 and their families suffer not only physically but also psychosocial and spiritual distress. Palliative care will play a major role in improving the quality of life (...

Background: Rising caesarean section rates is a concern worldwide. This study aimed to use Robson's ten group classification to identify which groups of women were contributing most to the rising caesarean section rates in Malaysian tertiary hospitals and to compare between hospitals, using a common standard set of variables. Methods: A 5-year (...

Literature studying the door-to-balloon time-outcome relation in coronary intervention is limited by the potential of residual biases from unobserved confounders. This study re-examines the time-outcome relation with further consideration of the unobserved factors and reports the population average effect. Adults with ST-elevation myocardial infarc...

Introduction Handgrip strength is an easy and safe measurement to evaluate the physical functioning of older adults. Lower hand grip strength is associated with cognitive decline, and can be used as an effective method for early detection of cognitive impairment. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the gender differences in association between...

Purpose: Stroke survivors report poorer self-rated health (SRH) compared to the general population but there is limited understanding on what contributes to SRH. This ethnographic study examined the individual and contextual factors that shape stroke survivors’ SRH in a rural middle income country situated in South East Asia. Methods: Ethnographic...

Background: Despite the global consensus on the importance of palliative care for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), many patients in developing countries do not receive palliative care. Improving access to palliative care for MS requires a contextual understanding of how palliative care is perceived by patients and health professionals, the ex...

This article reports on the lessons learnt from the pilot of a professional development massive open online course (MOOC) for a culturally and linguistically diverse student cohort located across low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). The focus of the MOOC was implementation research related to infectious diseases in LMICs. It was developed by th...