Childhood Obesity In Malaysia Articles
In the case of the poor the children tend to consume lower priced less.
Childhood obesity in malaysia articles. According to the world health organisation who obesity has been a global public health concern since 1975. Farhan not his real name was taken to a private hospital by his parents to seek treatment for an infection on his right leg. Up to 30 of malaysian children were found to be overweight obese. According to a united nations international children s emergency fund unicef survey 12 7 percent of malaysian children aged between five to 19 years old are obese the second highest in southeast asia behind brunei s 14 1 percent.
The poor families may not have enough money hence consume the less nutritious but high calorie foods which are usually cheaper while the rich families can afford to buy food sometimes make the unwise decision of buying the wrong kinds of food high calories. Globesity is a growing problem often associated with the riches of the developed. How common is overweight problem in malaysia. Overweight obesity rate in children and adolescents has increased over the years.
The concern is understandable as obesity not only increases the risk of contracting various chronic diseases but also puts a strain on the finances of governments in terms of healthcare allocations. As shown in figure 4 malaysia s total cost for obesity as a percentage of nominal gdp ranks top at a range between 0 4 and 0 8 far ahead of all other countries in asean. Childhood obesity has been growing at an alarming rate and is the most common nutritional problem among children in. However in developing countries like malaysia childhood obesity is prevalent among both rich and poor families.
Globesity is a growing problem often associated with the riches of the developed world but as the term coined to describe the global spike in obesity and diet related diseases suggests the health crisis is making few exceptions as children in malaysia have been labelled the fattest in the region. Both malaysia and brunei have the highest prevalence of obesity among youths aged five and 19 years old. In malaysia obesity has increased from 1 in 1990 to 6 in 1997 among. However in developing countries like malaysia childhood obesity is prevalent among both the rich and poor families.
The main cause of obesity in children is exogenous obesity which is due to external factors.