KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 – Almost half of adult residents in Putrajaya, or 45.8 per cent, are obese, with the administrative capital having the highest adult obesity rate in Malaysia.
Putrajaya’s 45.8 per cent adult obesity prevalence is more than double the 19.7 per cent national rate of obesity among adults aged 18 years and older, according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019).
More than four in 10, or 41.4 per cent, of civil servants working in government agencies or departments in Malaysia suffer obesity.
According to NHMS 2019 figures, about half of adults in Malaysia are overweight or obese, with 30.4 per cent overweight and 19.7 per cent obese.
Putrajaya’s adult overweight and obesity rate of 63.3 per cent exceeds the 50.1 per cent national prevalence.
These figures were disclosed at the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) launch today of a new module of its “Trim & Fit” weight management programme at workplace settings for civil servants across all ministries and government departments in Putrajaya, as well as an Anti Obes-City Putrajaya seminar.
MOH’s “Trim & Fit” weight management programme, which was launched in 2012, provides comprehensive interventions involving dietary changes, physical activity, and behavioural changes in self-motivation to lose weight.
“In principle, obesity is the main risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cancer, gout, cardiovascular-related disease, and certain cancers,” Zalma Abdul Razak, director of the nutrition division at MOH, said in her welcoming speech at the event in Putrajaya today.
Citing the NHMS 2019, she noted that 3.9 million adults in Malaysia have diabetes, 6.4 million with high blood pressure, and 8 million with high cholesterol. Some 1.7 million Malaysians have all three chronic conditions.
“If there are no continuous efforts from the Ministry of Health Malaysia, with your support, in managing this problem, the prevalence of obesity and non-communicable diseases will continue to rise and burden the country in terms of financial costs and work productivity loss,” Zalma said.
Caretaker Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who officiated the event, said that MOH would be starting a pilot programme at selected cafeterias and restaurants in Putrajaya, where menus would be calorie-labelled.
“If successful, [it] can be rolled out nationwide starting with big chain franchises,” he tweeted.
In a separate media statement, MOH said 58 government departments and agencies have run the Trim & Fit weight management programme as of this year.
“This programme was drafted with modules crafted specifically for implementation in the workplace, comprising diet modifications, exercise, and motivation. The involvement of various professions like science officers (diet), family medicine specialists, medical officers, pharmacy officers, psychology officers, and medical rehabilitation officers (physiotherapy) in intervention teams leads to an optimum and holistic impact.”
