Original Research
Public Health Medicine
MJPHM Research Article — Volume 7, Issue 1 (2007), Pages 25–30
Last reviewed: March 2026
Key Findings
- This article was published in the early period of MJPHM’s development as a journal, contributing to the growing evidence base for public health practice in Malaysia.
- Published during a period when Malaysia was actively strengthening its public health research capacity, with expanding postgraduate training programmes in public health medicine.
- The article addressed topics within the broad scope of public health medicine as defined by MJPHM’s editorial mandate.
- Volume 7 (2007) of MJPHM contained research spanning epidemiology, health services, maternal and child health, and chronic disease prevention.
Article Context
This article was published in Volume 7, Issue 1 of the Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine in 2007. This volume represented the journal’s continued growth as a platform for Malaysian public health scholarship, published during a period of expanding investment in public health research infrastructure across the country.
The year 2007 was significant for Malaysian public health for several reasons. Malaysia’s National Health and Morbidity Survey programme was providing increasingly detailed population-level data on disease burden and risk factors. The country was implementing its 9th Malaysia Plan (2006–2010), which included substantial commitments to strengthening healthcare delivery and disease prevention. Public health challenges of that era included the ongoing epidemiological transition, with rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases including diabetes, hypertension, and obesity alongside persistent infectious disease threats such as dengue fever and tuberculosis.
MJPHM in 2007: Journal Development
By 2007, MJPHM had established itself as an important publication outlet for public health research in Malaysia. The journal published research across its full scope, encompassing epidemiology, biostatistics, nutrition, family health, infectious diseases, health services research, gerontology, child health, adolescent health, behavioural medicine, rural health, chronic diseases, health promotion, public health policy and management, health economics, occupational health, and environmental health.
Articles published in Volume 7 reflected the breadth of public health challenges facing Malaysia at the time. Research topics in this volume included studies on breastfeeding practices, diabetes prevalence and management, maternal and child health services, infectious disease surveillance, and health service utilisation patterns across different populations.
Malaysia’s Public Health Landscape in 2007
The Malaysian public health system in 2007 operated through a well-established network of primary healthcare facilities, district hospitals, and tertiary referral centres. The country’s public health achievements—including dramatic reductions in infant and maternal mortality, successful childhood immunisation programmes, and effective infectious disease control—were widely recognised internationally. However, new challenges were emerging.
The burden of non-communicable diseases was accelerating, driven by urbanisation, changing dietary patterns, declining physical activity, and population ageing. National Health and Morbidity Survey data from this period documented concerning increases in the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and overweight/obesity across all major ethnic groups. These trends demanded new approaches to prevention and health promotion, moving beyond the communicable disease-focused strategies that had characterised earlier public health successes.
Environmental health issues were also prominent, including the recurring transboundary haze from Indonesian forest fires, rapid urbanisation and its effects on water and air quality, and occupational health challenges in Malaysia’s diverse economic sectors spanning agriculture, manufacturing, and the growing services industry.
Research published in MJPHM during this period contributed to the evidence base informing Malaysia’s response to these evolving public health challenges, providing local data to complement international evidence and guide contextually appropriate interventions.
Public Health Implications and Significance
Articles from this era of MJPHM publication contributed to building the evidence base for public health policy in Malaysia during a critical period of epidemiological transition. The research published in Volume 7 informed healthcare planning, resource allocation, and programme development at both national and state levels. The journal’s role in disseminating locally generated evidence helped ensure that Malaysian public health practice was grounded in research relevant to the local context rather than relying solely on evidence from other settings.
Limitations
This page serves as a placeholder for an article from MJPHM’s earlier publication period, when the journal was hosted on a different content management system. Detailed article information may be available through the MJPHM editorial office or through academic database searches. Readers seeking the specific content of this article are encouraged to contact MJPHM directly.
MJPHM Research Article. Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2007; 7(1): 25–30.
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)