obesity

Decades ago, obesity was seen as a rich man’s disease and mostly occurred in developed countries. Nevertheless, the situation is changed today. Obesity has become one of the global public health concerns. Statistics show that in 2004, there were around 2.8 million deaths in the world that was due to obesity (IASO 2010). World Health Organization states that the prevalence of obesity is rising rapidly in developing countries and may cause 100% rise in coronary deaths during 1990-2020 (Nutriweb 2010).

World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Malaysia for the year 2010 is 23.0% (WHO 2010). This indicates that one in every five adult Malaysians is either overweight or obese (Simon 2010). According to the Minister of Health, the prevalence of obesity is tripling in the past 15 years from 4% in 1996 to 14% in 2010, where approximately 7.9% of the Malaysian obese adult population are women and 4.7% are men (Nutriweb 2010).

Scientifically, obesity indicates that there is excess fat in the body. The risk of obesity can be screened by assessing the body mass index (BMI) of an individual. BMI is calculated by using weight in kilograms (kg) divided by height in meters squared (m²). WHO has defined overweight for Asians as BMI of 23.0 and above, while obesity as BMI of 27.5 and above (WHO 2003). In other words, individuals with more than 20% over their ideal weight are considered obese.

Apart from hereditary factors and endocrinal disorders, the chief culprit of obesity is due to environmental influences where a combination of long term unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyle are the most apparent factors. It is observed that Malaysians like to have irregular mealtime and inappropriate meal portions, for instance skipping breakfast and having heavy supper before sleep (Simon 2010).

Being overweight or obese has several negative impacts on the health. Obesity is proven to be associated with several chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases (WHO 2003). According to an American researcher, obesity is one of the risk factors leading to premature death (WHO 2003). Besides that, it is shown that high blood pressure is twice as common in obese adults rather than in those who are at a healthy weight. These health problems are much contributing to an ever increasing non-communicable disease burden to the country.