Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam fittingly exemplified the perilous state of our 30 million-strong population when he was recently reported to have said: “I don’t think the people are in the best state of health.”
According to the minister, 30 per cent of Malaysians were overweight and another 17.7 per cent obese; diabetes affected more than 17.5 per cent of the population last year; and 47.7 per cent of the nation’s adults should be worried due to their high cholesterol levels.
Let us not pretend to be terrified by this disclosure — it is not the first time we have heard this.
In our land of nasi lemak rendang, mee bandung and teh tarik, we have mastered the art of being oblivious to these life-saving indicators.
For the record, I have reservations about Time Magazine’s recognition of nasi lemak as among the top 10 most healthy international breakfasts. The judging panel must have been served a whole different version than what we have here on our shores.
The fact is that over the last few years, Malaysia has often been cited unfavourably, according to research findings, as among the nations in Asia with the highest number of overweight and obese people.
Two years ago, British medical journal The Lancet revealed that Malaysia even topped the more advanced Asian neighbours when it comes to being overweight with South Korea (33.2 per cent), Pakistan (30.7 per cent) and China (28.3 per cent) ranked below us.
Malaysia’s National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015 highlighted the concern that as many as 40.3 per cent of the country’s 1.4 million government and semi-government employees were overweight.
When this latest NHMS results placed Putrajaya as the city with the highest percentage of overweight, obese and abdominally obese people in the country, suddenly everyone around us had something to say about the findings. Malacca and Perlis came in second and third respectively while Sabah and Labuan were named the slimmest states.
Let’s be honest; we do not need a government official or any formal research report to tell us that more than a handful of our police personnel are a tad overweight, or that some of our civil servants can do with a bit of weight loss.
You just have to observe the overworked policemen at traffic light junctions during peak hours or the next time you pay a visit to any government department to notice the bulging issue facing our fellow Malaysians.
Admittedly, many of the government workers I have come across during my daily work routine would not pass the ridiculous and irresponsible “A4 waist challenge” — a viral selfie fad started by women in China comparing the size of their waists to the 21cm width of a standard A4 sheet of paper — but then again, how many private sector employees would? The debate should not be about whether you work for the government or the private sector. It is about our eating habits, work-life balance and commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
It should be about not having the energy to keep up with your children at the park or the stamina to walk up two flights of stairs to your office unit.
Long before the unveiling of the NHMS results, our police force had already taken measures to counter the bulging midriffs of its police personnel through the introduction of a pilot programme termed “Trim N Fit”.
Based on an exercise regime and healthy meal plan developed by the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Health Department, it was heartening to hear that 15 per cent of the initial group of 35 participants had successfully reduced their body mass index from “obese” to “overweight”.
Obesity is not a new phenomenon, or a local concern. As it stands, more than 2.1 billion people worldwide — almost 30 per cent of the world’s population — are regarded as overweight or obese today.
While I am not an expert on nutrition and healthy living — I had, twice previously, registered and very quickly cancelled gym memberships — I do attempt to feebly advocate to my family members, friends and colleagues on the need to watch our food intake.
It is not rocket science; my personal diet programme is unpretentious and simple. Start by reducing sugar intake in food and beverage. Cut down on carbonated drinks and fall in love with fruits and vegetables. And, the best trick I have acquired thus far, use a smaller plate when eating at hotel buffets and social functions so that it will be tiresome to go back and forth to the buffet table.
More importantly, I believe that by staying healthier and eating more judiciously, I will at least be able to reasonably achieve the goal of the next “A3 waist challenge” Internet fad coming our way.
With more than 15 years in journalism and a master’s in counselling psychology, Azura Abas is always drawn to the mystery of the human mind and behaviours