MalayMail-Mar 31: Survey
The majority of Malaysians seem to think they are in the pink of health due to regular exercise and keeping a healthy, balanced diet, according to a recent survey.
The survey, titled the State of Health of the Nation by The Green Zebras on behalf of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and Novartis Malaysia, found that seven in 10 respondents exercise at least once a week.
Meanwhile, 51 per cent of participants said they have healthy eating habits. In general, 98 per cent of the respondents believe they have good or average health.
Despite the optimistic perception, three-quarters of those who attended a health screening in the past were diagnosed with some form of non-communicable disease (NCD). The survey found that 37 per cent of the participants had high cholesterol, 29 per cent had high blood pressure, 13 per cent had diabetes and 10 per cent live with other health issues.
According to MMA president Dr Muruga Raj Rajaturai, it is worrying that many Malaysians do not give much importance to health as many skip health screenings.
“While observing a healthy diet and exercising will lower the risk of heart disease, it should be noted that regular check-ups are equally important as other factors such as age, gender, stress management and family history of high cholesterol can affect heart health.” The survey was conducted online in December 2022 in both peninsular and east Malaysia. The data gathering was based on a nationally-representative method of the overall population by location, gender and race. A total of 500 samples were collected for the study. Dr Muruga said the survey found 46 per cent of respondents had someone in the family living with heart or cholesterol-related complications. Read more at:
