MoH said about 10.5 per cent of the total 24,565 deaths from Covid-19 reported in Malaysia as of Sept 24 suffered from obesity. – File photo
KUCHING (Oct 3): About 10.5 per cent of the total 24,565 deaths from Covid-19 reported in Malaysia as of Sept 24 suffered from obesity, said the Ministry of Health (MoH).
In a Facebook post yesterday, the ministry urged the community to maintain an ideal weight by leading a healthy lifestyle.
MoH said having a healthy lifestyle includes a healthy diet, having workout at least five times per week, getting enough rest and not lighting a cigarette.
It added that people need to be more aware of the importance of keeping a healthy lifestyle to keep obesity at bay.
“It is one’s own responsibility to take care of their health,” stressed MoH.
Malaysia reportedly has the highest prevalence of obesity among adults in Southeast Asia.
The 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey pointed out that 50.1 per cent of the country’s adult population was reported to be overweight or obese, 30.4 per cent or 19.7 per cent respectively.
Obesity is a risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and several types of cancers such as breast, large intestine, pancreas and kidney cancers.
Obesity increases the risks of type 2 diabetes by sevenfold in men and 12-fold in women compared with normal-weight individuals.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that patients with cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer are more vulnerable to falling severely ill when they contract Covid-19.
MoH has also pointed out that Covid-19 patients with NCDs fare worse than others, with over 85 per cent of those who died having pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.