Malaysians rank 6th in number of obese adults in Asia

Malaysia has the sixth highest number of obese adults in Asia, based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) Report 2010, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai revealed today.

Speaking at a press conference after chairing the 9th Meeting of the National Council on Food Safety and Nutrition at his office, Liow said the obesity among schoolchildren has also been on the rise, from 20.7% in 2001 to 26.5% in 2007.

Pointing out that it was a worldwide trend, he said based on the WHO report, there were an estimated 400 million obese adults worldwide in 2005, with the number expected to rise to 700 million in 2015.

"According to the WHO Report 2010, we are ranked sixth among Asian countries. And based on our own National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2006, we found 60% or 7.4 million Malaysian above 18 years of age had body mass index (BMI) of 23 and above," said Liow.

(The BMI is measurement of the relative percentages of fat and muscle mass based on a person 's weight and height. A range of between 23 and 24.9 indicates overweight for Southeast Asian body types while a reading above 25 means obese.)

Liow said obesity can also adversely affect the nation’s productivity level and that serious actions have to be taken to address it.

"Under the National Plans of Action for Nutrition Malaysia, we will work with all relevant agencies to come up with strategies and activities that will educate Malaysians to consume healthy foods and maintain a healthy diet," he said.

Source: The Sun

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