1.7 million adult Malaysians 'obese'

Some 1.7 million adult Malaysians are obese and prime candidates for heart disease.
A Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) study revealed that among them were a million women, many of whom stopped exercising after getting married or later in life, while an abundance of food at home contributed to eating binges.
Associate Prof Dr Lekhraj Rampal of UPM said there was an obesity "epidemic" in the country, which would worsen if no action was taken.
He said the "epidemic" had spiralled out of control in the past five years, thanks largely to our sedentary lifestyle.
He said there was a significant relationship between obesity and gender, age, race and level of education.
The information was culled from a 10-month study on the risk of cardiovascular disease, funded by the Intensification of Research in Priority Areas, under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
Health Ministry statistics show that in 1996, 4.4 per cent of the then 10.4 million adult population were obese.
Eight years later, the number had jumped to 12.2 per cent of the adult population.
More than a million of those deemed obese were Malays, 400,000 Chinese and nearly 200,000 Indians.
"Malaysians are becoming lazy and too comfortable. The increase of affluence in urban societies has led to the problem," Dr Rampal said.
He said people were not doing enough to reduce the risk, despite widespread awareness that cardiovascular disease was the number one killer in the country over the past 40 years.
Many were not even aware they were at risk.
"Just ask someone what their cholesterol level is. Most likely, they won’t know."
He called for a continuous comprehensive cardiovascular disease prevention programme at community level.
"The key word here is ‘continuous’," he said.
"We have to go back to the basics of primary care.
"When doctors see an overweight patient, they should offer advice on cardiovascular risk."
When patients know their health status, they will make an effort to change, he contends.
"If no action is taken, the risk factors will automatically translate into heart diseases."
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