National Study Finds 1 in 2 Malaysians Are Overweight or Obese and the Number Has Been Trending Upward Since 2011

The study first began in 2011 and has been done every 4 years. The latest Fact Sheet released also highlights some other worrying trends, namely:

• 1 in 4 adults are physically inactive
• 1 in 5 adults smoke
• 94.9% of adults do not consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables
• 1.7 million Malaysians currently live with diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol (the 3 major NCDs to look out for in Malaysia)

Diabetes among adults has trended upwards since 2011 from 7.2% to 9.4% accompanied by an increase in the people who didn’t know they had diabetes (4% to 8.9%). This means more people are getting diabetes without knowing it.

Not to be alarmist but these trends do not paint the best picture. Obese people have 7 times more tendency to contract serious complications from infections, diabetic patients similarly are 3 times more prone to infections, similarly smokers are 1.5 times more likely to experience infection complications.

MoH reported that 87% of COVID-19 death cases occur to patients that have at least one comorbidity (having another disease, like diabetes for example).

The cost to our healthcare

These stats do not just have an impact on individuals, but they have a lasting impact on our economy and infrastructures as well.

Direct medical health costs and loss of productivity due to chronic disease in Malaysia until 2017 have been estimated to be as high as RM 22.53 billion (nearly 40% from the total cost for medical health in the country).

75.3% of hospital admissions according to the survey was in public hospitals, which has placed a heavy burden on the country’s health system.

On a personal level, the survey highlighted that 81.4% of households in Malaysia used their own income to pay for medical expenses, 35.8% used savings, and 10.9% had to borrow from others to pay their medical bills.

The cost of continuing an unhealthy lifestyle is clear. However, there’s a way we can all ease the burdens of the healthcare industry and our wallets.

We need to take accountability for our health

Bulan Malaysia Sihat Sejahtera (BMSS), held during the month of October was initiated by Ministry of Health Malaysia and officiated by Prime Minister Dato Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob on 8th October 2022 with the aim of shifting the attitudes of people towards preventative care.

By cultivating healthy behaviours, the nationwide approach under the Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat hopes to nurture a healthier and happier Keluarga Malaysia by applying preventative measures through an active lifestyle.

Diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol are NCDs that are preventable diseases and Bulan Malaysia Sihat Sejahtera aspires to work hand in hand with strategic partners to execute programs and activities that promote a healthier wellbeing.

Habits such as physical activity, nutritious diet, body weight management, healthy mind, not smoking, not drinking alcohol, maintaining a clean and healthy environment as well as conducting regular personal health checks are the important foundations for a national health system shifting from the focus of treatment and intervention of diseases to one that facilitates and supports Keluarga Malaysia to become more healthy.

According to the WHO, regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain healthy body weight and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being.

For adults 18 and above it’s advised that you should do at least 150 - 300 minutes of moderate intensity a week. So at the bare minimum, that’s 20 minutes of exercise a day. Not too bad if you realise that there’s 720 minutes in a day minus sleep (another 12 hours).