SEACO Research Projects
Codebooks available (*)
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No Project Title 1
Health Round 2023 (Close Cohort)
To be updated.
2
ASEAN Hypertension (RCT)
Hypertension increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which contributed to 80% of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)-related deaths in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Uncontrolled hypertension is a major health issue in LMICs.
Understanding how hypertension is managed is important especially in LMICs as it could help to reduce uncontrolled hypertension. Hence, the goal of home-based screening hypertension campaigns is to screen and diagnose people with hypertension, and to encourage early treatment and control of the disease. This project aimed to identify the needs and possible improvements in the hypertension care continuum, and to facilitate effective, evidence-based targeting programmes and policies for hypertension management and control in the ASEAN region.
The proposed study aims to identify needs and possible improvements in the hypertension care continuum and facilitate effective, evidence-based targeting programs and policies for hypertension management and control in the ASEAN region.
3
CHIMES 2.0 (COPD)
To be updated.
4
CHIMES 2.0 (CVD)
To be updated.
5
Health effect of heat in Southeast Asia: behavioral and structural climate exhange adaptation intervention in semi rural Malaysia (HEAT)
Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and severe in Southeast Asia, significantly impacting human health, particularly in countries vulnerable to climate change like Malaysia. This increase in heat exposure is expected to elevate the rates of heat-related illnesses and mortality, as well as exacerbate vector-borne diseases. Malaysia has already begun reporting heat-related illnesses and developed guidelines to manage these conditions at healthcare facilities. Rural communities in Malaysia are especially vulnerable to extreme heat due to socioeconomic factors, poor housing conditions, and limited access to cooling devices like air conditioning. The disparity between urban and rural areas makes air conditioning an unsustainable and unaffordable solution for these communities. Additionally, the rural population is ageing, with many older adults suffering from chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases that reduce their resilience to heat. These individuals also experience cognitive decline, which can impair their ability to adapt their behaviour to cope with heat stress. To address the health impacts of climate change, it is crucial to implement behavioural and structural changes at the community level. By enhancing the understanding of heat-related health risks and teaching effective coping strategies, communities can better protect themselves from the adverse effects of extreme heat. The significance of this research lies in its potential to develop and implement community-based interventions that are both structural, like cool roofs, and behavioural, such as heat literacy education. These interventions are designed to be sustainable and culturally appropriate for rural Malaysian communities. The outcomes of this project could lead to improved health outcomes, early detection of heat stress, and more proactive community engagement in managing heat-related risks.
This study aims to implement and evaluate the structural and behavioural interventions for heat adaptation to mitigate the health effects of heat at the community level in five SEACO sub-districts [Bekok, Chaah, Gemereh, Jabi, and Sungai Segamat] in the Segamat district. Improving heat literacy and fluency that leads to better heat adaptation behaviours changes early heat stress detection and diagnosis. and painting the roof with UV-resistant white paint to cool it and reduce heat absorption will be the main focus of interventions. Thus, the study findings will help develop a culturally sensitive community- based heat adaptation (CBHA) programme for rural Malaysia.
6
MUA-FMA (programme)
This unit involves an international field trip to Monash Malaysia and provides students with formal and applied training in qualitative and ethnographic field research methods. The unit consists of a two-week stay in Malaysia. This includes a field site visit, which students will work with the Australian-based unit coordinator, local staff members from the School of Arts and Social Sciences and the South East Asian Community Observatory (SEACO) to conduct small-scale research projects, gather data in the field, analyse the data and present their findings.
7
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 15 Years and Above*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks to 14 Years*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks Below*
SEACO demographic and health surveillance site collects information on vital events like birth, death and migration from the entire population. An important advantage of this infrastructure is the ability to identify accurately all births and deaths in the community. Although Malaysia has a fairly accurate civil registration system, the causes of death are not accurately recorded particularly when they occur outside a health facility, as is often the case in rural communities. Further, religious edicts, particularly pertinent in Islam, require burial within 24 hours; therefore autopsies or post mortem examinations to determine clinical cause of death rarely occur. Cause of death is therefore estimated by authorities, usually the police, who are required to certify deaths that occur outside health facilities. In recognition of the need for more accurate cause of mortality data and the paucity of accurate data in low and middle income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a standardised verbal autopsy protocol for estimating the cause of death. Verbal autopsies are structured interviews with relatives of the deceased about the signs and symptoms exhibited prior to death. These data are then used for a probabilistic determination about cause of death. It is now recommended by the WHO that all low and middle income countries with inadequate death registration, undertake verbal autopsies using this protocol . Other HDSS sites around the world also use the verbal autopsy protocol as standard methodology for cause of death in longitudinal population surveillance (Aborigo et al., 2013).
The SEACO VA study seeks to include the 2012 version of the WHO verbal autopsy protocol as part of the SEACO data collection protocols. The SEACO VA study will embed a qualitative component to support the contextualisation
The objective of this study is to build and implement health policies; to determine an exact cause of death.
8 Mother and Infant (MISS P)*
The SEACO demographic and health surveillance site collects information on vital events like birth, death and migration from the entire population. An important advantage of this infrastructure is the ability to identify accurately all births and deaths in the community. The Mothers and Infants in SEACO Segamat (MISS) project is designed to capture new births within the district, as well as data on infant and maternal wellbeing. This establishes important baseline data for the ongoing SEACO cohort. Currently, as a part of a community engagement strategy, when we learn of a new birth in the community a small pack of baby-care products is delivered to the mother – a strategy to welcome new arrivals into SEACO. This has been coordinated by a recently retired district Matron, who is well informed about births within the district. We want to extend the community engagement process to count the birth events nearer the time of the actual birth, collect data about the wellbeing of the mother and infant, collect demographic data, and collect data on rearing practices. On the community engagement visit the “baby pack” would continue to be delivered to mothers who had recently (within 4 months) had a baby. The mother would be asked at that visit if she would consent to a data collector re-visiting at another time to collect information about the mother and infant. Where the mother is no longer the principal carer (e.g., if she has left the infant with a grandmother to work elsewhere) the principal carer would be invited to participate.
To provide a mechanism for collaboration, engagement, and capacity building with the district nurses to identify new births and undertake postnatal visits to new mothers; To monitor maternal and infant health.
8
Woman Reproductive Health and IT Project
To be updated.
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No Project Title 1
Development of Dementia toolkit for carers (DeToC): A comprehensive toolkit to support carers of people living with dementia in rural communities
The DeTOC project is a collaborative project between MUM (School of Medicine, SEACO, Malaysia Immersion Hub ), MUA, Hanoi University of Public Health, NIHR DePEC group (Newcastle University, UK), Global Dementia Prevention Program (GloDePP), UNU-IIGH and icddr,b. This study aims to co-develop (in consultation with carers and the community) a culturally acceptable dementia toolkit to provide caregivers with educational, service, and social support. We will test the feasibility, acceptability, usability, and effectiveness of this toolkit in the rural population of Malaysia and Vietnam. Working closely with the Ministry of Health and a multidisciplinary team of local and international experts, the study will provide recommendations to integrate the toolkit into the local health system.
2
CHIMES
This project is a collaboration project between the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH) and SEACO, Monash University, Malaysia. Through this project, we aim to contribute methodological insights on how to strengthen SEACO to effectively carry out an empirical population-based study on climate change and health. Furthermore, the aim is to establish the acceptability, reliability, and durability of the next-generation of measurement instruments, such as sensors for homes and for individuals.
3
Global Dementias: Understanding structural vulnerabilities and dementias in Australia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh (ARC)
The Global Dementias is a collaborative project between MUM (School of Medicine, SEACO), MUA (Faculty of Arts), National Ageing Research Institute Australia, and icddr,b Bangladesh. This comparative anthropological study will take an eco-social approach to understand how social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental contexts shape people&'s experiences and decisions about future care in the context of dementia in Australia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. Using comparative ethnographic methods, the project will generate new knowledge on how people with dementia-related neuro-disability use their resources to enhance well-being, now and into the future. The Malaysia component of the study will be conducted in SEACO and will include qualitative data collection (interviews, ethnography, photovoice, etc.) among dementia patients and carers.
4
Census Round 2022
The Census 2022 is the 3rd round of Census for SEACO (1st round was in 2012 and 2nd round in 2017), it is a standard process of Health and Demographic Surveillance (HDSS) site to conduct a Census every 5 years. In Census 2022, only 1 representative of the household (>18 years old) is required to collect the information of all of the household members. Demographic information of consented households was collected, such as name, I/C number, economic status, health status etc and also information on COVID-19 such as type of vaccine taken, infection status, long-COVID status and more.
5
NEED Grant: Implementation of a Self-help Digital Mental Health Intervention (DMIH) to Nurses by Using a Fully Automated Conversational Agent (A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Chatbot for Nurses with Work-Related Stress Symptoms) MOBOT
The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a culturally sensitive, fully automated conversational agent (Chatbot), in delivering cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to nurses in the Segamat district who self-identify as having symptoms of work-related stress and burnout. Among the five study objectives, three objectives will be carried out at SEACO in collaboration with the Segamat district Hospital and district public health department(PKD).
6
SEACO-CH20 community dissemination
SEACO-CH20 is a project by researchers at Monash University Malaysia and the University of Bristol. This study was to investigate the behaviour and health of the children and adolescents in Segamat which is also known as Child Health 2020, SEACO-CH20. This study updates similar data in 2013 as well as collected biological samples (blood and urine) and behavioural measures of diet and physical activity. Data collection involves paper-based questionnaires, wrist-worn devices, health measurements and sample collection. Please refer to the project completion report for the details on the number of participants involved. The organisation that funded this study is the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).
The project aims to combine state-of-the-art metabolic phenotyping and novel objective measures of diet and physical activity among Malaysian children and adolescents aged 7-17 years.
7
MUA-FMA (programme)
To be updated.
8
Health Round 2023*
Malaysia is currently undergoing a significant transition in its public health landscape. In the past, the primary health concerns were infectious diseases. However, as the country develops, the burden has shifted towards non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. This shift underscores the need to understand not just individual health outcomes, but also the broader household and community factors that influence the prevention and transmission of these conditions — areas that remain relatively underexplored.
The South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) is committed to addressing this gap. SEACO goes beyond the study of diseases alone, taking a holistic approach to assess the overall well-being of individuals, families, and communities.
As part of this effort, SEACO conducted a health survey to identify risk factors for non-communicable diseases among residents in five sub-districts: Bekok, Chaah, Gemereh, Jabi, and Sungai Segamat. The survey gathered data on a range of health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as lifestyle factors that contributed to these diseases.
In addition to physical health indicators, the survey also explored aspects of care, mental well-being, and individual behavior. Trained data collectors performed basic health screenings to assess blood pressure and other comorbidities. For participants aged 35 and above, a blood glucose test was also administered to help identify individuals at risk of diabetes.
9
Home-based blood pressure (BP) screening: A way forward for evidence-based policies and interventions in hypertension management among ASEAN countries (Phase 2)
This project aimed to identify the needs and possible improvements in the hypertension care continuum, and to facilitate effective, evidence-based targeting programmes and policies for hypertension management and control in the ASEAN region.
10
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 15 Years and Above*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks to 14 Years*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks Below*
Verbal Autopsy (VA) is a Verbal Study of the Causes of Death. The project started in 2015 and is a continuous project. The research questions are the original format of The World Health Organisation (WHO). The objective of this study is to build and implement health policies; to determine an accurate cause of death.
11
Mothers and Infants in SEACO Segamat (MISS P)*
Mother and Infants in SEACO Segamat Project (MISS P) started in 2013. This is a collaboration between SEACO and Pejabat Kesihatan Segamat. This project aims to provide a mechanism for collaboration, engagement and capacity building with the district nurses to identify new births in 5 sub districts and undertake postnatal visits to new mothers; monitor maternal and infant health.
12
Health effect of heat in Southeast Asia: behavioral and structural climate xhange adaptation intervention in semi rural Malaysia (HEAT)
Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and severe in Southeast Asia, significantly impacting human health, particularly in countries vulnerable to climate change like Malaysia. This increase in heat exposure is expected to elevate the rates of heat-related illnesses and mortality, as well as exacerbate vector-borne diseases. Malaysia has already begun reporting heat-related illnesses and developed guidelines to manage these conditions at healthcare facilities. Rural communities in Malaysia are especially vulnerable to extreme heat due to socioeconomic factors, poor housing conditions, and limited access to cooling devices like air conditioning. The disparity between urban and rural areas makes air conditioning an unsustainable and unaffordable solution for these communities. Additionally, the rural population is ageing, with many older adults suffering from chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases that reduce their resilience to heat. These individuals also experience cognitive decline, which can impair their ability to adapt their behaviour to cope with heat stress. To address the health impacts of climate change, it is crucial to implement behavioural and structural changes at the community level. By enhancing the understanding of heat-related health risks and teaching effective coping strategies, communities can better protect themselves from the adverse effects of extreme heat. The significance of this research lies in its potential to develop and implement community-based interventions that are both structural, like cool roofs, and behavioural, such as heat literacy education. These interventions are designed to be sustainable and culturally appropriate for rural Malaysian communities. The outcomes of this project could lead to improved health outcomes, early detection of heat stress, and more proactive community engagement in managing heat-related risks.
This study aims to implement and evaluate the structural and behavioural interventions for heat adaptation to mitigate the health effects of heat at the community level in five SEACO sub-districts [Bekok, Chaah, Gemereh, Jabi, and Sungai Segamat] in the Segamat district. Improving heat literacy and fluency that leads to better heat adaptation behaviours changes early heat stress detection and diagnosis. and painting the roof with UV-resistant white paint to cool it and reduce heat absorption will be the main focus of interventions. Thus, the study findings will help develop a culturally sensitive community- based heat adaptation (CBHA) programme for rural Malaysia.
13
Biological Vulnerability to Extreme heat in maternal and child health (MATERNA-CHILD)
To be updated.
14
An epidemiology study on oil palm consumption and health in Malaysia (MPOB)
To be updated.
-
No Project Title 1
Segamat Faith and Health (John Templeton Foundation - JTF) 2nd Wave
This study is funded by the John Templeton Foundation, a US philanthropic foundation which rarely funds research in low- and middle-income countries. The project aims to answer questions about the relationship between religion and physical and mental health, and potentially set the stage for the development of health interventions that successfully integrate faith.
2
Behaviour and health update for children and adolescents in the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO-CH20)
The research is about Innovating behavior and health surveillance for cardiovascular disease prevention in Malaysia. This is a collaborative research project between Monash University Malaysia and University of Bristol (UK). The study is jointly funded by the Malaysian Ministry of Education and MRC-UK. The aim of this project is to combine state-of-the-art metabolic phenotyping and novel objective measures of diet and physical activity among Malaysian children and adolescents between the ages of 7-17 years.
3
Home-based blood pressure (BP) screening: A way forward for evidence-based policies and interventions in hypertension management among ASEAN countries
This project aimed to identify the needs and possible improvements in the hypertension care continuum, and to facilitate effective, evidence-based targeting programmes and policies for hypertension management and control in the ASEAN region.
4
Understanding the palliative care needs and the experience of patients living with chronic disease and their caregivers (FRGS)
The study aims to understand the experiences and issues affecting a person diagnosed with a chronic disease and of their caregivers.
5
Healthcare Utility among Orang Asli Project (FRGS) - FGD
To be updated.
6
Dementia toolkit for carers (DeToC): A comprehensive toolkit to support carers of people living with dementia in rural communities
The DeTOC project is a collaborative project between MUM (School of Medicine, SEACO, Malaysia Immersion Hub ), MUA, Hanoi University of Public Health, NIHR DePEC group (Newcastle University, UK), Global Dementia Prevention Program (GloDePP), UNU-IIGH and icddr,b. This study aims to co-develop (in consultation with carers and the community) a culturally acceptable dementia toolkit to provide caregivers with educational, service, and social support. We will test the feasibility, acceptability, usability, and effectiveness of this toolkit in the rural population of Malaysia and Vietnam. Working closely with the Ministry of Health and a multidisciplinary team of local and international experts, the study will provide recommendations to integrate the toolkit into the local health system.
7
ARC Global Dementias: Examining tructural Vulnerability and Dementia Outcomes
The Global Dementias is a collaborative project between MUM (School of Medicine, SEACO), MUA (Faculty of Arts), National Ageing Research Institute Australia, and icddr,b Bangladesh. This comparative anthropological study will take an eco-social approach to understand how social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental contexts shape people&'s experiences and decisions about future care in the context of dementia in Australia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. Using comparative ethnographic methods, the project will generate new knowledge on how people with dementia-related neuro-disability use their resources to enhance well-being, now and into the future. The Malaysia component of the study will be conducted in SEACO and will include qualitative data collection (interviews, ethnography, photovoice, etc.) among dementia patients and carers.
8
NEED Grant: Implementation of a Self-help Digital Mental Health Intervention (DMIH) to Nurses by Using a Fully Automated Conversational Agent
The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a culturally sensitive, fully automated conversational agent (Chatbot), in delivering cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to nurses in the Segamat district who self-identify as having symptoms of work-related stress and burnout. Among the five study objectives, three objectives will be carried out at SEACO in collaboration with the Segamat district Hospital and district public health department(PKD).
9
Census Round 2022
The Census 2022 is the 3rd round of Census for SEACO (1st round was in 2012 and 2nd round in 2017), it is a standard process of Health and Demographic Surveillance (HDSS) site to conduct a Census every 5 years. In Census 2022, only 1 representative of the household (>18 years old) is required to collect the information of all of the household members. Demographic information of consented households was collected, such as name, I/C number, economic status, health status etc and also information on COVID-19 such as type of vaccine taken, infection status, long-COVID status and more.
The objectives of this study are to understand the factors that sustain health and well-being in a community, how these factors evolve over time, and to gather additional information on migration, deaths, and births.
10
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 15 Years and Above*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks to 14 Years*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks Below*
Verbal Autopsy (VA) is a Verbal Study of the Causes of Death. The project started in 2015 and is a continuous project. The research questions are the original format of The World Health Organisation (WHO). The objective of this study is to build and implement health policies; to determine an accurate cause of death.
11
Mothers and Infants in SEACO Segamat (MISS P)*
Mother and Infants in SEACO Segamat Project (MISS P) started in 2013. This is a collaboration between SEACO and Pejabat Kesihatan Segamat. This project aims to provide a mechanism for collaboration, engagement and capacity building with the district nurses to identify new births in 5 sub districts and undertake postnatal visits to new mothers; monitor maternal and infant health.
-
No Project Title 1
Designing and rapid prototyping relational mental health (RELATE ME) community-based intervention among semi-rural population (WHO-CE)
The objective of this project is to to design a prototype relational mental health community-based intervention among semi-rural population in Malaysia.
2
Update Round 2020*
Update Round is the procedure of systematically updating the information about the members of a given population. This is 4th Round of Update Round for SEACO (previous round was conducted in 2013,2014 and 2015), it is a standard process of Health and Demographic Surveillance (HDSS). In the Update Round, we captured the information of migration in, migration out, birth and death. Only 1 representative (≥18 years old) is required to collect the information of the household members.
The aim of this study is to update the household information (Migration in and Migration out) in five SEACO’s data collection areas.
3
Self-perception of ageing and healthy ageing in a multicultural rural context: Towards an age-friendly community (GA 21 SEED)
This project aim to understand the views of 40 older adults from multicultural and rural background residing in Segamat district regarding ageing of self, healthy ageing and age-friendly environment. While there are cultural differences in self-perception of ageing
4
Behaviour and health update for children and adolescents in the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO-CH20)
SEACO-CH20 is a project by researchers at Monash University Malaysia and the University of Bristol. This study was to investigate the behaviour and health of the children and adolescents in Segamat which is also known as Child Health 2020, SEACO-CH20. This study updates similar data in 2013 as well as collected biological samples (blood and urine) and behavioural measures of diet and physical activity. Data collection involves paper-based questionnaires, wrist-worn devices, health measurements and sample collection. Please refer to the project completion report for the details on the number of participants involved. The organisation that funded this study is the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).
The project aims to combine state-of-the-art metabolic phenotyping and novel objective measures of diet and physical activity among Malaysian children and adolescents aged 7-17 years.
5
Community Education & Navigation Programme for Breast Cancer (CENP for BC Screening)
The program is a collaboration between the British Council, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Malaysian Industry Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT). This project aim to harness the lessons from our previous successful study in Malaysia and the methods of implementation science to develop and evaluate a community education and navigation programme (CENP) that will improve the early detection and diagnosis of Breast Cancer among rural women. This project will benefit rural communities by increasing public awareness about warning signs and symptoms and, more specifically, by navigating women to breast cancer screening.
The CENP will identify and counter emotional barriers, dispel misbeliefs and prompt help-seeking behavior thereby enhancing cancer prevention and leading, where appropriate, to early diagnosis and treatment.
6
Colorectal Cancer - Screening Initiative in Malaysia (CRC-SIM)
The Colorectal Project was completed for phase 1 and will continue for phase 2. Second phase of the project depends on the analyse data from phase 1 finding. The project will be continued for the phase 2 estimated in August - October 2021 (3-months). This is a quantitative data collection with target respondents 700 – 1000 (age 50-74 years old).
7
Segamat Faith and Health (John Templeton Foundation - JTF) 2nd Wave
This study is funded by the John Templeton Foundation, a US philanthropic foundation which rarely funds research in low- and middle-income countries. The project aims to answer questions about the relationship between religion and physical and mental health, and potentially set the stage for the development of health interventions that successfully integrate faith.
8
Understanding the palliative care needs and the experience of patients living with chronic disease and their caregivers (FRGS)
To be updated.
9
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 15 Years and Above*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks to 14 Years*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks Below*
Verbal Autopsy (VA) is a Verbal Study of the Causes of Death. The project started in 2015 and is a continuous project. The research questions are the original format of The World Health Organisation (WHO). The objective of this study is to build and implement health policies; to determine an accurate cause of death.
10
Mothers and Infants in SEACO Segamat (MISS P)*
Mother and Infants in SEACO Segamat Project (MISS P) started in 2013. This is a collaboration between SEACO and Pejabat Kesihatan Segamat. This project aims to provide a mechanism for collaboration, engagement and capacity building with the district nurses to identify new births in 5 sub districts and undertake postnatal visits to new mothers; monitor maternal and infant health.
11
Segamat Hospital Obstetric Registry (SHOR)
SEACO advocated for, and has been supporting, the collection of the Hospital Segamat birth data for integration in the National Obstetrics Registry (NOR). Collection of the NOR data formed a part of the core SEACO data collection. In conjunction with MISSP the Hospital Segamat birth data ensured that we recorded most births and infants entering the SEACO Mukims.
-
No Project Title 1
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 15 Years and Above*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks to 14 Years*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks Below*
Verbal Autopsy (VA) is a Verbal Study of the Causes of Death. The project started in 2015 and is a continuous project. The research questions are the original format of The World Health Organisation (WHO). The objective of this study is to build and implement health policies; to determine an accurate cause of death.
2
Colorectal Cancer - Screening Initiative in Malaysia (CRC-SIM)
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer accounting for 13.2% of all cancers. It is estimated that about one- third to one-half of the deaths due to CRC could be avoided through early presentation, detection, and appropriate treatment. However, over 50% of cases present at late stages. Although annual CRC screening is recommended for people aged 50 years or above, a population-based screening intervention is not in place. Therefore, this research project attempts to improve colorectal cancer screening uptake in Malaysia. The development of a theoretically-informed, evidence- based and culturally appropriate CRC-SIM will add new insights regarding approaches and methods of adapting and implementing successful screening programs in Malaysia and elsewhere.
3
Mother and Infant (MISS P) + International Consortium for Health Outcome Measures (ICHOM)*
This project aims to evaluate, compare and enhance clinical care during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period which also includes women experienced giving birth, confidence in breastfeeding and mother and infant bonding scale. This project also to find out the postpartum depression and urinary incontinence during the postpartum period.
4
Update Round 2020 + Religion and physical and mental health among elderly in a predominantly Muslim and multicultural community: the causal linkages - (Segamat Faith and Health 1st wave)*
This project has started in 2020 with the goal to recruit about 5000 participants aged 55 years old and above. This project objective is to see the relation between religion and the people's physical and mental health.
5
Staying active at home: the impact of COVID-19 movement restrictions on physical activity in a low-income semi-rural population*
Due the world pandemic, this survey has been conducted to see how people cooperating with the health and activities while staying at home. This project aim to measure symptom prevalence; preventative practices and explore the impact of the MCO on infection and changes in lifestyle practice.
6
NIHR Global Health Group on Dementia Prevention & Enhanced Care - (DePEC)
DePEC project involves a very close collaboration with the Segamat Health District Office. This project collected samples of urine, blood, blood spot and saliva in Segamat Health Clinic. Participants also has been provided with a counseling on the healthy diet, especially on salt intake.
7
Socioeconomic condition, cognition and health during the COVID 19 crisis study - The CORONARISK Study*
The main goal of this study is to disentangle effects caused by the MCO and by the overall COVID-19 crisis, which extends before and after the MCO. This study also to design a prototype relational mental health community- based intervention among semi-rural population in Malaysia. This intervention will help to reduce mental distress during COVID-19 pandemic.
-
No Project Title 1
Mother and Infant (MISS P)*
Mother and Infants in SEACO Segamat Project (MISS P) started in 2013. This is a collaboration between SEACO and Pejabat Kesihatan Segamat. This project aims to provide a mechanism for collaboration, engagement and capacity building with the district nurses to identify new births in 5 sub districts and undertake postnatal visits to new mothers; monitor maternal and infant health.
2
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 15 Years and Above*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks to 14 Years*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks Below*
Verbal Autopsy (VA) is a Verbal Study of the Causes of Death. The project started in 2015 and is a continuous project. The research questions are the original format of The World Health Organisation (WHO). The objective of this study is to build and implement health policies; to determine an accurate cause of death.
3
National Obstetrics Registry(NOR), Segamat
This project aims to support the recording of births in the SEACO Mukim, and support the integration of district hospital data into the NOR.
4
Risk factor surveillance update in South East Asia Community Observatory - Health Round 2018*
The objective of this project is to identify non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity among individuals, families, and communities.
5
DePEC-Nutrition
The objective of this project is to evaluate the feasibility of a multi-domain intervention to increase dietary adherence to dietary plan involving an increased consumption of nitrate-rich green leafy vegetables and reduction of salt consumption.
6
Work, health & well-being of nurses in public healthcare sector - Nurses Study
This study involves all health care workers in Segamat. This study aims to investigate the state of work, health, and well-being of nurses in the public healthcare sector in Malaysia. This study will identify the workplace antecedents of stress and factors that affect work, health and well-being of nurses in public hospitals and clinics. Around 700 health care workers have participated in this study.
7
Development of population-based Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening Intervention in Malaysia (Phase 1)
The objectives of this project are to interview the general population and key informants regarding their views and attitudes towards CRC screening, perceived benefits and barriers towards CRC screening and perceived enablers to improve CRC screening in Malaysia.
-
No Project Title 1
Risk factor surveillance update in South East Asia Community Observatory - Health Round 2018*
To identify non-communicable diseases such as Diabetes, hypertension, and obesity among individuals, families, and communities.
2
Brain & Heart Health : Heart health and cognitive decline in ageing populations - Phase 1*
Brain & Heart Health : Heart health and cognitive decline in ageing populations - Phase 2*
Focusing on elderly people aged 70 and above, this project aimed to gather information on brain and heart health of these groups of participants. Participant’s heartbeat is recorded using an electrocardiogram device (ECG) and a few questions were asked during house-to-house visits. This is to investigate the association between atrial fibrillation, stroke and cognitive decline.
3
The Malaysian Microbiome Project in Health and Disease - Microbiome Study
Microbiome project has been conducted as a one collaboration project with Monash University, Malaysia. The objective of the project is to investigate the link between lifestyle habits and major diseases. This project has been completed in August 2018, with 458 participants agreed, out of 450 targets to participate, 374 saliva samples collected, and 233 stool samples.
4
A novel predictive model for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease and related Dementias among Malaysians using Artificial Intelligence techniques
This study investigates and aims to develop a novel computational diagnostic tool for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia from verbal utterances of the elderly population in Malaysian.
5
Diseases and early Dementia among Malaysians
To be updated.
-
No Project Title 1
Census Round*
SEACO started the first census in 2012 and involved five sud-district: Bekok, Chaah, Gemereh, Jabi and Sungai Segamat. The purpose of the census was to count the whole population in these mukim and to collect basic household information about the individual household members.
2
Development of an implementation framework for community based breast cancer screening in the multi ethnic population of Malaysia*
The objective of this project is to assess the bottlenecks to coverage of breast cancer screening in Malaysia.
3
Socio-Economy Status-Effective Function (SES-EF)
The main goal of this project is to unveil the cognitive determinants of well-being in southern Malaysia.
-
No Project Title 1
Feasibility of Elderly Cohort*
A feasibility study for the development of an ELDERLY COHORT was undertaken, funded through a Monash-Newcastle (UK) collaboration and led in the UK by Dr Blossom Stephan and in Malaysia by Dr Devi Mohan. Signs of mild cognitive impairment were noted and funding is being sought to extend this work on a larger scale to link the biological and ecological factors that mitigate a range of illnesses that affect quality of life in the rural elderly community.
2
SEACO Infants: Health And Transition (SI:HAT): A feasibility study for establishing a Malaysian birth cohort (SIHAT Birth Cohort) Group A*
SEACO Infants: Health And Transition (SI:HAT): A feasibility study for establishing a Malaysian birth cohort (SIHAT Birth Cohort) Group B*
SEACO Infants: Health And Transition (SI:HAT): A feasibility study for establishing a Malaysian birth cohort (SIHAT Birth Cohort) Group C*
The birth cohort aims to understand how the health status of pregnant women in Segamat may affect the health and development of their children from birth. The project is a collaboration between SEACO, the Segamat District Health Office (PKD) and Segamat Hospital.
The study is split into three specific groups for data collection: Group A, B, and C. Further, each mother is contacted twice during the study. For example, data collectors first collect data from a mother when her infant is three months old and secondly when the infant is eight months old. Data collection for this project is carried out at three government health clinics, Segamat Hospital as well as at the respondent's homes. The accumulated data is on the individuals socio-demographic and life style. Additionally, their height and weight, blood pressure and body fat are measured. Further, blood samples are collected to identify diabetes and excess fat in the blood. Urine and hair samples are collected to identify links to environmental, hereditary and genetic factors.
The study will assist in increasing healthy birth outcomes in the community. Additionally, it will provide data to assist in the early identification and treatment of health issues. A major objective is that this will help prevent death or disability in infants.
3
Feasibility Community Cohort : SEACO Families Biomarker Study (Community Cohort) - Genetic epidemiology feasibility studies*
Evidence from early work in SEACO demonstrated that children that had one or more obese parents had a two-fold greater risk of being obese compared with children who had no obese parents. However, it is not clear how much of this risk is associated with environmental exposures (habits - diet and physical activity) within the family, and how much of it may have some hereditary or biological components. In collaboration with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute at Cambridge, SEACO is collecting data from families that include not only the physical health status of parents and children but also some questionnaire data to assess their eating habits and physical activity and biological data to determine possible genetic and other biomarkers that might explain the risks of obesity.
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No Project Title 1
Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Study for Older People
Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Study for Older People is a study commissioned by UNFPA Malaysia and conducted in collaboration with postgraduate students from University Putra Malaysia (UPM). The study was led in UPM by Dr Mary Huang and presented an important opportunity for SEACO to provide community based field methods training to students within the context of a study of public health relevance.
2
Update Round*
Update Round is a project for updating the household information (Migration in and Migration out). This project was conducted annually. This is also an opportunity for SEACO to visit those houses which they have never visited before, empty house or reject.
3
Eye Screening by SEGI College
The experience of supporting the training of health professionals was extended to Optometry Students from SEGI University who provided community wide screening for eye care in the Orang Asli community in Kg Tamok and provided corrective lenses for those who needed them, donated through a charitable foundation.
4
Catastrophe and Impoverishment from Diabetes: An Exploration of the Economic Burden of Diabetes Care - CID
This study is funded by the Duke Global Health Institute to explore the economic costs to households and health systems of chronic diseases like diabetes. This study is being conducted as part of the PhD candidature of Julius Chee Ho Cheah.
5
New frontiers in Dengue Viral Infections - a community-based study (DENGUE)
The study represents a collaboration between the JCSMHS, the Segamat District Health Office and the Segamat Hospital. The study has attempted to identify the complex interaction of the dengue virus, its human hosts and the mosquito vectors. The study features a multi-disciplinary effort in entomology, virology, genetics, public health, social determinants and clinical practice. The methodology has been scaled up to a study funded by MOSTI and being undertaken in Shah Alam.
6
Citizen Science Reporter (CSR)
This project aimed to train citizens in the Segamat district of Johor, Malaysia to identify and report on health related issues in their community.
7
Complementary Feeding and the Early Origins of Obesity Risk (C-FOO)*
The study aimed to explore the factors that determine complementary feeding practices and the early risks of childhood obesity.
8
Segamat Paediatric Eye Disease Study (SEGPAEDS)
The Segamat Paediatric Eye Disease Study (SEGPAEDS) was a study initiated by the paediatric Ophthalmology team to explore the evidence for reducing the age for early childhood eye screening. SEACO supported mass screening of kindergarten school children to determine rates of correctable visual impairment in under-seven year olds.
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No Project Title 1
Update Round*
Update Round is a project for updating the household information (Migration in and Migration out). This project was conducted annually. This is also an opportunity for SEACO to visit those houses which they have never visited before, empty house or reject.
2
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 15 Years and Above*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks to 14 Years*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks Below*
Verbal Autopsy (VA) is a Verbal Study of the Causes of Death. The project started in 2015 and is a continuous project. The research questions are the original format of The World Health Organisation (WHO). The objective of this study is to build and implement health policies; to determine an accurate cause of death.
3
SEACO Stroke Study : Recovery and well-being following stroke
Recovery from stroke, a four year study funded by the Australian Research Council and led by medical anthropologist Dr Narelle Warren from Monash University Australia, commenced, to explore the factors that support recovery and successful rehabilitation of people who have had a stroke. This includes the role of Islam in coping, complicating effects of dementia and age related cognitive decline, trajectories of recovery, the impact of providing long term care on carers, and health and welfare systems’ support. Cases were identified through the SEACO health assessment data collection.
4
Singleton (Social Support and Care Arrangements of Older People Living Alone in Rural Malaysia) - Singleton Study
This project was funded by the University of Amsterdam and data collection was led by Dr Natalie Evans. The study sought to explore the health and well being of elderly members of the community, identified through the household visits as living alone. Although there was some indication of social isolation and poor health, living alone was largely a choice for many. Again, SEACO staff collaborated with the district public health team to follow up on those who needed further support.
5
National Obstetrics Registry(NOR), Segamat
This project aims to support the recording of births in the SEACO Mukim, and support the integration of district hospital data into the NOR.
6
Youth Study : Establishment of an adolescent cohort to assess health related behaviours
MIGRATING YOUTH is a study that builds on work with the youth cohort. This attempts to establish the methodology to follow youth who leave rural communities to determine how much they retain healthy (or otherwise) habits or lifestyles and what the ecological factors are in their new homes that mitigate their healthy choices. This study is being conducted with Malaysian Chinese youth, by Fang Fang Li, an Erasmus Mundi funded PhD student from the University of Amsterdam and the University of Barcelona.
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No Project Title 1
Youth Study : Establishment of an adolescent cohort to assess health related behaviours
Building on the findings from the youth, a qualitative study on YOUTH HEALTH PRACTICES was funded by the University of Amsterdam. This project aimed to identify the importance of family and peers in the eating patterns, physical activity and identification of health priorities of young Malaysians in Segamat. The study was led by Dr Debora Joanna Imelda from the University of Indonesia.
2
Update Round*
Update Round is a project for updating the household information (Migration in and Migration out). This project was conducted annually. This is also an opportunity for SEACO to visit those houses which they have never visited before, empty house or reject.
3
Mother and Infant (MISS P)*
Mother and Infants in SEACO Segamat Project (MISS P) started on 2013. This is a collaboration between SEACO and Pejabat Kesihatan Segamat. This project aims to provide a mechanism for collaboration, engagement and capacity building with the district nurses to identify new births in 5 sub districts and undertake postnatal visits to new mothers; monitor maternal and infant health.
4
Risk factor surveillance update in South East Asia Community Observatory - Health Round 2013*
The objective of this project is to identify non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity among individuals, families, and communities.
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No Project Title 1
Census Round*
SEACO started the first census in 2012 and involved five sud-district: Bekok, Chaah, Gemereh, Jabi and Sungai Segamat. The purpose of the census was to count the whole population in these mukim and to collect basic household information about the individual household members.
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- Launch of SEACO at Thistle Hotel Johor Bahru by the Chief Minister of Johor, Dato' Haji Abdul Ghani bin Othman.
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No Project Title 1
Health Round 2023 (Close Cohort)
To be updated.
2
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 15 Years and Above*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks to 14 Years*
Verbal Autopsy - Aged 4 Weeks Below*
SEACO demographic and health surveillance site collects information on vital events like birth, death and migration from the entire population. An important advantage of this infrastructure is the ability to identify accurately all births and deaths in the community. Although Malaysia has a fairly accurate civil registration system, the causes of death are not accurately recorded particularly when they occur outside a health facility, as is often the case in rural communities. Further, religious edicts, particularly pertinent in Islam, require burial within 24 hours; therefore autopsies or post mortem examinations to determine clinical cause of death rarely occur. Cause of death is therefore estimated by authorities, usually the police, who are required to certify deaths that occur outside health facilities. In recognition of the need for more accurate cause of mortality data and the paucity of accurate data in low and middle income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a standardised verbal autopsy protocol for estimating the cause of death. Verbal autopsies are structured interviews with relatives of the deceased about the signs and symptoms exhibited prior to death. These data are then used for a probabilistic determination about cause of death. It is now recommended by the WHO that all low and middle income countries with inadequate death registration, undertake verbal autopsies using this protocol . Other HDSS sites around the world also use the verbal autopsy protocol as standard methodology for cause of death in longitudinal population surveillance (Aborigo et al., 2013).
The SEACO VA study seeks to include the 2012 version of the WHO verbal autopsy protocol as part of the SEACO data collection protocols. The SEACO VA study will embed a qualitative component to support the contextualisation
The objective of this study is to build and implement health policies; to determine an exact cause of death.
3
Health effect of heat in Southeast Asia: behavioral and structural climate exhange adaptation intervention in semi rural Malaysia (HEAT)
Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and severe in Southeast Asia, significantly impacting human health, particularly in countries vulnerable to climate change like Malaysia. This increase in heat exposure is expected to elevate the rates of heat-related illnesses and mortality, as well as exacerbate vector-borne diseases. Malaysia has already begun reporting heat-related illnesses and developed guidelines to manage these conditions at healthcare facilities. Rural communities in Malaysia are especially vulnerable to extreme heat due to socioeconomic factors, poor housing conditions, and limited access to cooling devices like air conditioning. The disparity between urban and rural areas makes air conditioning an unsustainable and unaffordable solution for these communities. Additionally, the rural population is ageing, with many older adults suffering from chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases that reduce their resilience to heat. These individuals also experience cognitive decline, which can impair their ability to adapt their behaviour to cope with heat stress. To address the health impacts of climate change, it is crucial to implement behavioural and structural changes at the community level. By enhancing the understanding of heat-related health risks and teaching effective coping strategies, communities can better protect themselves from the adverse effects of extreme heat. The significance of this research lies in its potential to develop and implement community-based interventions that are both structural, like cool roofs, and behavioural, such as heat literacy education. These interventions are designed to be sustainable and culturally appropriate for rural Malaysian communities. The outcomes of this project could lead to improved health outcomes, early detection of heat stress, and more proactive community engagement in managing heat-related risks.
This study aims to implement and evaluate the structural and behavioural interventions for heat adaptation to mitigate the health effects of heat at the community level in five SEACO sub-districts [Bekok, Chaah, Gemereh, Jabi, and Sungai Segamat] in the Segamat district. Improving heat literacy and fluency that leads to better heat adaptation behaviours changes early heat stress detection and diagnosis. and painting the roof with UV-resistant white paint to cool it and reduce heat absorption will be the main focus of interventions. Thus, the study findings will help develop a culturally sensitive community- based heat adaptation (CBHA) programme for rural Malaysia.
4
CHIMES 2.0 (COPD)
To be updated.
5
CHIMES 2.0 (CVD)
To be updated.
6
Woman Reproductive Health and IT Project
To be updated.