Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the mental health complications that may arise following childbirth. This cross-sectional study explores the association between socioeconomic factors and PPD literacy with PPD incidence in 350 participants (mean age: 30.58±4.72 years) at one to six months postpartum, who attended the Kuala Lumpur Health Clinic from May to October 2020. PPD incidence and literacy were assessed using the validated Malay versions of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Postpartum Depression Literacy Scale (PoDLiS), respectively. The participants’ socioeconomic characteristics were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Chi-square tests were performed to determine the association between these factors and PPD incidence. Binary logistic regression models were used to determine the odds ratios (OR). The incidence of postpartum depressive symptoms was 14.29%. Those with low household income were twice likely to have PPD symptoms (OR:2.58, 95% CI:1.23–5.19; p = 0.01) than those with higher incomes. Unemployment (i.e., participants who were housewives/homemakers) was associated with higher PPD incidence (Χ²_{(2, 350)} = 6.97, p = 0.03), but it was not a significant PPD predictor. In conclusion, PPD incidence in the sample of Kuala Lumpur postpartum mothers is significantly associated with low household income. Other socioeconomic characteristics, including PPD literacy, were not significant predictors of PPD incidence.

Background: Vision screening programmes’ outcomes are routinely used to report the prevalence of vision anomalies in children. However, the association between vision screening outcomes and the children’s socioeconomic status remains underexplored. This cross-sectional study determined the association between socioeconomic and birth status with vision screening outcomes in a sample of children in Klang Valley. Methods: Total 411 children (mean age: 5.49 ± 0.47 years old) attending preschools were selected via stratified cluster sampling. Habitual distance visual acuity, near visual acuity, and stereoacuity were measured. The fail criteria were distance visual acuity ≥ 0.3 logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (logMAR), near visual acuity ≥ 0.4 logMAR or stereoacuity ≥ 300 arcsec. Socioeconomic and birth history data were obtained using parent-report questionnaires. The association between socioeconomic factors and screening outcomes were determined with binary logistic regression. Results: Sixty-two children (15.1%) failed the screening, with a significantly higher failure rate for Bumiputera children (16.34%) compared to non-Bumiputera children (4.08%) (χ2 (1, 410) = 5.21; P = 0.024). After adjusting for confounders, Bumiputera children were four times more likely to fail vision screening (OR: 4.54; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.07, 17.76; P = 0.044). Other socioeconomic factors were not significant predictors for failing vision screening. Conclusion: Preschool children’s ethnicity is associated with vision screening outcomes. Bumiputera children are more likely to fail vision screening than their non-Bumiputera peers.

Visual-motor integration (VMI) is related to children’s academic performance and school readiness. VMI scores measured using the Beery-Bucktenicka Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery-VMI) can differ due to differences in cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. This study compared the VMI scores of Malaysian preschoolers with the corresponding US norms and determined the association between their VMI scores and socioeconomic factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 435 preschoolers (mean age: 5.95±0.47 years; age range: 5.08–6.83 years) from randomly selected public and private preschools. VMI scores were measured using Beery-VMI in the preschools’ classrooms. Information on the socioeconomic characteristics of the preschoolers was obtained using a parent-report questionnaire. One sample t-test was used to compare their VMI scores with the corresponding US norms. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the influence of socioeconomic factors on the preschoolers’ VMI scores. Overall, Malaysian preschoolers’ VMI performance was similar to the US standardized norms (p>0.05). Children from low-income families were twice likely to obtain lower than average VMI scores than those from higher-income families (OR = 2.47, 95%CI 1.05, 5.86). Children enrolled at public preschools were more likely to obtain a lower than average VMI score than those who enrolled at private preschools (OR = 2.60, 95%CI 1.12, 6.06). Children who started preschool at the age of six were more likely to obtain lower than average VMI scores than those who started at an earlier age (OR = 4.66, 95%CI 1.97, 11.04). Low maternal education level was also associated with lower than average VMI score (OR = 2.60, 95%CI 1.12, 6.06). Malaysian preschoolers’ Beery-VMI performance compared well to their US counterparts. Some socioeconomic factors were associated with reduced VMI scores. Those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to have reduced VMI performance, potentially adversely affecting their school readiness, cognitive performance, and future academic achievements.

Many East Asians apply double eyelid tape to create the double eyelid effect temporarily as a means of increasing their beauty. This study evaluated the effects of four-week wear of double eyelid tape on anterior ocular health in young adult women with single eyelids. Twenty-nine participants who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. The participants’ anterior ocular health was examined including blinking characteristics (blink pattern and blink rate), ocular surface health (presence of corneal abrasion, corneal staining, conjunctival staining, corneal curvatures, meibomian gland dysfunction), tear break up time, intraocular pressure, and subjective comfort level. Participants were required to apply the double eyelid tape for at least eight hours a day and five days a week for four weeks. The parameters were re-measured at the end of each week. There was a significant increase in conjunctival staining, corneal staining, and meibomian gland dysfunction, with a significant reduction in tear break-up time and intraocular pressure. By week 3, all participants had incomplete blinks. There was no significant change in symptoms and subjective comfort level reported. Therefore, patients and eye care practitioners should be aware of the potential implications of double eyelid tape wear on ocular health, with no significant change in subjective comfort.

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to the closure of educational institutions, which may prevent children from attaining skills essential for learning, such as visual–motor integration (VMI) and visuospatial constructional ability (often reflected with the Block Design Test, BDT). This study compares VMI and BDT performance between a pre-pandemic cohort (children who attended preschool in late 2019) and a post-pandemic cohort (those physically attending preschool for the first time at the end of 2021). Participants were children attending government preschools with similar syllabi catered for low-income families. The pre-pandemic cohort was part of an earlier study (n = 202 for VMI and n = 220 for BDT) before lockdowns commenced in March 2020. The post-pandemic cohort comprised 197 children who completed the Beery-VMI and 93 children who completed the BDT. Compared to the pre-pandemic cohort, the post-pandemic cohort had significantly lower mean Beery-VMI scores (t(397) = 3.054, p = 0.002) and was 3.162-times more likely to have a below average Beery-VMI score (OR = 3.162 (95% CI 1.349, 7.411)). The post-pandemic cohort also had significantly lower BDT scores than the pre-pandemic cohort (t(311) = −5.866, p < 0.001). In conclusion, children with disrupted conventional preschool education due to the COVID-19 lockdowns were more likely to have below-average VMI and lower BDT scores.

Purpose: This study investigates the agreement of children’s retinal thickness classification by color category between Topcon 3D OCT-1’s built-in adult reference data and our new pediatric database and assesses the correlation of retinal thickness with age and spherical equivalent (SE). Methods: 160 eyes of 160 healthy children (74 boys, 86 girls) aged 6–18 years (mean: 11.60 ± 3.28 years) were evaluated in this cross-sectional study. The peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) and macular thickness were determined for the 1st, 5th, 95th, and 99th percentile points. Cohen’s κ value and specific agreement between pediatric data and adult reference database were estimated. The correlation between retinal thickness with age and SE was also determined. Results: The mean thickness for the total RNFL, average macular, and central macula were 112.05±8.65 μm, 280.24±12.46 μm, and 220.55±17.53 μm, respectively. The overall agreement between the classification of the adult database and pediatric data for pRNFL was ≥90%, with discrepancies in 46 out of 150 eyes (30.67%); for macula, it was above 72%, with discrepancies in 93 out of 153 eyes (60.78%); and for ganglion cell complex and ganglion cell + inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) the agreement was above 84% and 85%, respectively. A significant level of agreement between pediatric data and adult reference data was achieved for temporal RNFL (κ = 0.65), macular perifoveal superior (κ = 0.67), and inferior (κ = 0.63) and inferior GCIPL (κ = 0.67). The correlations between age and retinal thickness were not significant (all p>0.05). Most retinal thickness parameters were positively associated with SE (Pearson’s coefficient, r = 0.26 to 0.49, all p<0.05). Conclusions: The overall agreement for pRNFL and macular thickness measurements in children with the adult reference database was between 72% and 90%. Children’s retinal thickness was not significantly correlated with age but was positively associated with spherical equivalent.