Obesity and Malaysians’ disdain for exercise

KUCHING: Only 15 per cent of Malaysians exercise for health while the remaining “do not exercise at all or do the wrong exercises”.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said this
had contributed to obesity, with the number of obese, especially
children, ringing alarm bells for health experts and policymakers.
“There
are more obese people here than in neighbouring countries, including
Indonesia. We are number one in Southeast Asia and sixth in Asia.” She
said this when opening the national dietitians’ association scientific
conference on bridging the gap in nutritional care for the community
here yesterday.
“Obesity among children is of major concern.”
Rosnah said obesity had a profound effect on everything, from personal
health to public healthcare.
“Chronic diseases, if not managed properly, will result in
complications, increase in the cost of medical care and affect the
quality of life of patients. This will also increase the burden of
care-givers and their families. ” The national health morbidity survey,
conducted for the years between 1996 and 2006, showed that 35 per cent
of children suffered weight problems. The survey also revealed a
two-fold jump in the number of obese adults, from 20.6 to 43.1 per cent.
“We
cannot deny that with improved opportunities to food, coupled with a
sedentary lifestyle, waistlines of people have been growing at an
alarming rate and can result in chronic diseases. These concerns need to
be addressed while they are toddlers or children before they advance
into youth and adulthood.” Rosnah said under the 10th Malaysian Plan,
the government had embarked on a five-year health plan to promote
healthy living, establish national policies and plans for the prevention
and control of non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular
diseases and hypertension.
But she pointed out that the problem of obesity was not one that Malaysia faced alone.
“There is a global call by theWorld Health Organisation for each
member country to look into the health status of their own population.
This is a problem faced in America, the United Kingdom and many others.”
According to the World Health Organisation, an adult with a body mass
index (BMI) greater than 25 was overweight, while one with a BMI greater
than 30 was obese. Obesity is defined by Stedman’s Medical Dictionary
as an excess of subcutaneous fat in proportion to lean body mass.

yeah, go and exercise, eventhough you are not fat or not overweight doesnt mean you are healthy [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

d fattest in SEA ... msia boleh ! ... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

200-300lbs r a common sight nowadays compared 2 a decade ago ... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]