9/19/2018 Fattest kids in Asia: Malaysia’s childhood obesity a fast-growing concern

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Fattest kids in Asia: Malaysia’s childhood obesity a fast-growing concern

Dr. Caren Andexer, 08 Sep 2016

Obesity is rapidly rising among Malaysian children and adults alike

‘Globesity’ is a growing problem often associated with the riches of the developed world but, as the term coined to describe the
global spike in obesity and diet-related diseases suggests, the health crisis is making few exceptions as children in Malaysia have
been labelled the fattest in the region. ‘Globesity’ is a growing problem often associated with the riches of the developed world
but, as the term coined to describe the global spike in obesity and diet-related diseases suggests, the health crisis is making few
exceptions as children in Malaysia have been labelled the fattest in the region, demanding an imminent concern on childhood
obesity."

In fact, Malaysia is one of several ASEAN countries facing simultaneous crises of over and under-nutrition, with some children
overweight while their peers suffering from malnutrition. This ‘double burden of malnutrition’, identified in a recent report from
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9/19/2018 Fattest kids in Asia: Malaysia’s childhood obesity a fast-growing concern

UNICEF, WHO and ASEAN, is also happening in other middle income countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Both obesity and malnutrition are rising at once

“While there has been much progress in Malaysia over the past few decades in terms of improving children’s lives, the road to
high-income nationhood brings up new challenges such as obesity in children and young people due to changing lifestyles and
dietary habits,” said Marianne Clark-Hattingh from UNICEF Malaysia. “On the other hand, many children are still growing up
without proper nutrition.”

According to the latest statistics from the National Health Morbidity Survey, more than 7% of children in Malaysia under five
years of age have been identified as overweight. Studies by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia revealed that almost 30% of children
and teenagers aged between 6 and 17 were either overweight or obese.

The study, involving 8,705 primary and secondary school students throughout the country, indicated that 32.9% of male students
were overweight compared with female students at 24.7%. It also revealed that one out of four children skipped breakfast, which
indicated a lack of concern among parents over their children’s eating habits and diet.

Poor nutrition and inactive lifestyle spreading among Malaysian children

A child whose growth was stunted in early childhood is at greater risk of becoming overweight later in life. The risk for being
overweight goes up with increased access to junk food and drinks (especially those with high trans-fat or sugar content and low
nutritional value), physical inactivity and increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

All of these are environmental factors which can be curbed at budding point in schools as part of a healthy ritual or eating
routine.

In 2013, then Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, stepped up the battle of obesity in schools with the introduction of a
‘healthy lifestyle with skipping’ initiative to encourage children to become more active with the distribution of skipping ropes to
200 schools nationwide.

The most basic determinant of excess weight is a simple imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. The fact
that adults worldwide are struggling to grasp the concept is particularly concerning when their responsibility becomes raising
healthy children.

“Malaysian parents should pay greater attention to monitoring the meals of their children. In many families both parents are
working and very often this aspect is neglected,” Dr E Siong Tee, president of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, said.

“Children skip breakfast and the meals which they do consume are high in meat, fat, salt and low in vegetables and fruits”.
Sugary drinks including soft drinks, cordials and syrups are all too popular as drink choices for children, as are sweet cakes and
local snacks - all of which taste good and are readily available in local school canteens but are extremely low in nutrients.

This is a paradoxical outcomes of a developing nation - too much of something good is never better.

Obesity a Malaysian crisis across all age groups

Additionally, the health minister Dr S. Subramaniam confirmed that Malaysia was officially Asia’s fattest country, with a
staggering increase in its obesity rate. The latest statistics show that the overweight and the obese make up nearly half of the
country’s 30 million population.

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9/19/2018 Fattest kids in Asia: Malaysia’s childhood obesity a fast-growing concern

According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey of 2015, obese Malaysians make up 17.7% of the population while those
who are categorised as overweight make up 30%.

“If added together, almost half the population of Malaysia is overweight or obese,” he stressed.

This is especially staggering given that the obesity prevalence was merely 4.4% just a decade ago in 1996. In 2014, a study
published by The Lancet listed Malaysia as the highest in Asia for obesity followed by South Korea, Pakistan and China. MIMS

Sources:

http://www.unicef.org/malaysia/media_double%20burden%20-%20malnutrition%20-%20obesity%20-%20children%20-%20Malaysia%20.htm#.V8U5tCh97IU

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysian-children-suffering-from-obesity-and-undernutrition-says-un-report

http://sea-globe.com/obese-children-malaysia/

http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/08/168955/environment-drives-childhood-obesity

http://sea-globe.com/fat-under-fire/

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/nearly-half-malaysias-population-overweight-or-obese-health-minister-says

Read more:
Diabetes, obesity and cancer could be prevented by Notch signalling
Protein sugar and aroma enhancer: Tastier ways of tackling obesity and diabetes
Do Pottenger’s cats show the way to good health?
New insights on why heart disease is attacking younger Malaysians

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