MalayMail-May 16
The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 launched by the Health Ministry today found that two in five adult Malaysians, or 38 per cent, are suffering from insufficient sleep. The ministry’s key findings in the report on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) and Healthcare Demand released today, also found that insufficient sleep is linked to the prevalence in obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, depression and accidents nationwide. “The pandemic of NCDs is the real challenge. NCDs are the leading causes of death, premature death. Distressingly, over half a million of Malaysian adults were living with four NCDs all at once, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity,” Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said at the launch of the report here. Lack of sleep was more common in those living in urban areas, compared to rural areas, and over 40 per cent of adults in the 40 to 49 and 50 to 59 age groups respectively are not getting the recommended amount of sleep a day — seven hours. The report also showed that one in three adults have hypertension, which translates to 6.7 million Malaysians. Hypertension is a huge problem in the country with 80 per cent of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 were found unaware that they have the condition. Diabetes is also now one of the top killers in Malaysia, with 3.6 million, or one in six Malaysian adults, diagnosed with it. According to the report, 84 per cent of adults aged 18 to 29 are unaware that they have diabetes. The survey was done from July to September last year with a total of 13,616 respondents across all age groups nationwide with a response rate of 83.2 per cent. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/05/16/two-in-five-malaysians-not-getting-enough-sleep-with-survey-showing-diabetes-hypertension-high-cholesterol-obesity-on-the-rise/134698
