(1) Background: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a useful tool for the assessment of subjective sleep quality in non-clinical and clinical settings. This study aimed to determine sleep quality in a general Malaysian adult population using a validated Malay version of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI-M); (2) Methods: The original PSQI was translated into Malay following forward and backward translation guidelines. The final Malay version was administered to a sample of healthy working adults (n = 106; mean age: 35.3 ± 7.6 years) without history of sleep disorders. Reliability and agreement were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, intra-class correlations coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and Bland–Altman plot. Convergent validity of PSQI-M was examined with the Malay version of Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS-M) using Pearson’s correlation coefficient; (3) Results: Overall mean PSQI global score was 5.25 ± 1.85. About 45% of the sample had PSQI global score >5, indicating poor sleep quality. Total sleep duration per night was 5.95 ± 1.05 h, below the recommended amount. Sleep quality seems to be affected by age but not gender. Internal consistency as measured by Cronbach’s alpha in the whole sample was 0.74, with test–retest reliability (ICC) of 0.58 and SEM of 1.34. The PSQI test–retest scores indicated that most of the respondents (90%) lay within the 95% limits of agreement. The PSQI-M also showed significant correlation with ESS-M scores (r = 0.37, p < 0.01); (4) Conclusion: The PSQI-M showed acceptable reliability and is valid to be used in a general Malaysian adult population. Findings also indicate that a majority of the adults in our sample were experiencing inadequate sleep, thus further research is needed to identify the factors associated with poor sleep quality.

It is unclear how timing of exercise relative to meal ingestion influences substrate balance and metabolic responses. The present study aimed to compare the effects of exercise performed before or after breakfast on fat balance and postprandial metabolism. A total of ten sedentary overweight men (aged 28·1 (sem10·7) years, BMI 29·0 (sem2·8) kg/m²) underwent three trials in random order involving: (1) performing no exercise (CON), or walking for 60 min at 50 % maximal O₂uptake either (2) before (Ex-Meal) or (3) after (Meal-Ex) consuming a standardised breakfast meal. In each trial anad libitumlunch was provided 3·5 h after breakfast. Substrate utilisation was assessed by indirect calorimetry and blood was taken at regular intervals over an 8·5 h observation period. At the end of the observation period, fat balances in the Ex-Meal ( − 1043 (sem270) kJ) and Meal-Ex ( − 697 (sem201) kJ) trials were both significantly lower than CON (204 (sem165) kJ) and fat balance in the Ex-Meal trial was significantly lower than in the Meal-Ex trial (allP <0·0001). Compared with the CON trial, the 8·5 h postprandial TAG response was only significantly lowered in the Ex-Meal trial ( − 17 %,P =0·025) and not in the Meal-Ex trial ( − 11 %,P =0·20). Both the Ex-Meal and Meal-Ex trials showed significantly lowered insulin responses relative to the CON trial (by 19 and 24 %, respectively,P <0·01 for both). There were no differences in lunch energy intake between trials. The present findings suggest that there may be an advantage for body fat regulation and lipid metabolism in exercising before compared with after breakfast. However, further study is needed to determine whether the present findings extend over the long term under free-living conditions.

Background and Study Aim. Non-sport activities like traditional games can be a practical way to promote physical activity (PA) during physical education (PE) lessons, especially among those who are less inclined towards sports. The purpose of this study is to compare the PA variables and acceptance between playing traditional games and free-play during physical education lessons among secondary school students. Material and Methods. Fifty-six (n = 56) subjects participated in this study wore accelerometers for a total of 40 minutes during each PE lesson to record PA. In the first week, a 40-min free-play PE lesson was done while in the second week, a 40-min PE lesson incorporated with traditional games (TG-PE lesson) was done. After following both lessons, subjects filled up a questionnaire on acceptance of TG-PE and free-play PE lessons. Results. The mean total activity count (p < 0.05) and time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (p < 0.05) were 20% and 19% greater respectively during TG-PE lesson compared to free-play PE lesson. The mean acceptance scores showed students preferred playing TG (19.29 ± 4.21; p < 0.00) over free-play PE lesson (17.59 ± 3.13). Conclusions. In conclusion, incorporating fun and meaningful activities such as TG during PE lessons can serve as an alternative strategy to promote PA during school hours. Further studies are warranted to determine other types of TG that may promote PA among secondary school students.

Background: The effect of circadian disruption on the bio-psychological clock system has been widely studied. However, the mechanism and the association of circadian rhythm disruption with mental health and physiological responses are still unclear. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of circadian rhythm disruption on mental health and physiological responses among shift workers and the general population. Methods: A total of 42 subjects participated in this quasi-experimental study. Participants were divided into a group of shift workers (n = 20) and a general population group (n = 22). Polysomnography tests, blood tests (cortisol, triglycerides and glucose), and psychological tests (Abbreviated Profile of Mood States, General Health Questionnaire-28, Working Memory and Processing Speed Indexes of the Wechsler Adult Intelligent Scale (WAIS-IV) were used to examine the effects of circadian rhythm disruption. Results: The results showed a significant relationship between circadian rhythm disruption and mood (r = 0.305, p < 0.05). The findings of this study also indicated that there was a significant effect of circadian rhythm disruption on mood (F(2,40) = 8.89, p < 0.001, η² =0.182), processing speed (F(2,40) = 9.17, p < 0.001, η² = 0.186) and working memory (F(2,40) = 4.963, p < 0.01, η² = 0.11) in shift workers and the general population. Conclusions: Our findings showed that circadian rhythm disruption affects mood and cognitive performance, but it does not significantly affect psychological wellbeing and physiological responses. Future studies are warranted to examine moderator and mediator variables that could influence the circadian rhythm disruption.

Previous exercise reduces the lipemic response to meals of fixed size. It is not known whether this triglyceride (TG) attenuation also occurs in response to ad libitum feeding because exercise might induce a compensatory increase in energy intake. It is also unclear whether the effects of a single exercise session on lipemia would be augmented by repeated exercise sessions on consecutive days. Ten sedentary overweight/obese men (aged 35 ± 6 yr) each participated in three 4-d trials in random order: CON (no exercise on days 1-3), EX-1 (exercise session on day 3), and EX-3 (exercise sessions on days 1-3). Each exercise session expended 33.5 kJ·kg−¹ body mass. Subjects consumed an isocaloric diet (provided by experimenters) and avoided alcohol on days 1-3 of all trials. On day 4 of each trial, participants underwent a 7-h metabolic assessment, during which an ad libitum buffet breakfast and lunch was provided, and postprandial plasma and expired air responses were assessed. Day 4 ad libitum energy intake was higher than CON in EX-3 (9216 ± 669 vs 7859 ± 492 kJ, P < 0.05) but not EX-1 (8335 ± 683 kJ). Postprandial TG responses were 27% and 25% lower in EX-1 and EX-3, respectively, than in CON (both P < 0.05), and postprandial insulin responses were 26% (P = 0.06) and 31% (P < 0.05) lower in EX-1 and EX-3, respectively, than in CON. Compared with CON, postprandial fat oxidation was 20% higher in EX-1 and 27% higher in EX-3 (both P < 0.05). Previous exercise attenuates the lipemic response to ad libitum meals, suggesting that exercise's TG-lowering effect will extend into "real-world" settings where food intake is not carefully controlled. This response is not augmented by exercising on repeated days.

Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), which underpins the concept of low energy availability (LEA), can negatively affect athletes’ health and performance. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of RED-S among national athletes in Malaysia. A total of 192 national athletes (97 males, 18–39 years old) responded to an online survey regarding the RED-S risk. Most athletes (67.2%) were classified as having a medium/high RED-S risk. Female (41.2%), weight-class (23.9%), and intermittent sports (20.3%) had the highest prevalence of medium/high RED-S risk. Overall, most athletes spent 2–5 h daily (55.2%) and 6–7 days weekly (53.6%) practicing or playing their sport, and 47.9% reported feeling tired recently. The athletes were also terrified of being overweight (61.5%), worried about what they eat (64.7%), concerned about having fat on their bodies (62.6%), and thinking about burning calories while exercising (69.3%). Only 16.7% of the athletes had a prior history of stress fractures, and 40.6% continued to participate in activities 6–7 days per week while injured. The majority of female athletes (88.3%) had regular menstrual cycles. These findings support the notion that RED-S screening should be addressed in the athletic community. Future research is needed to clinically assess these athletes and investigate the impacts of RED-S on their health and sports performance.