Malaysians face obesity-related disease epidemic in 10 years

Malaysia will likely face an "epidemic" of weight-related illnesses in the next ten years if the country's rising obesity rates are not checked, health minister Chua Soi Lek warned Thursday.

Chua said medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and knee problems had increased in tandem with rising obesity levels.

"It has reached a worrying level and if there is no concerted effort by government agencies as well as the public, we will face a non-communicable diseases epidemic in 10 to 15 years," the minister told reporters.

Obesity levels in adult Malaysians have near tripled in less than 10 years, rising from 4.4 percent of the population in 1996 to 12.2 percent to 2003, Chua said.

Some six million adults are overweight and obese out of a population of 26 million, he noted at the Asia Pacific Obesity Conclave.

"This rising trend is of major concern, as obesity is not only a health problem but a socio-economic one as well," he added.

The minister attributed the trend to increasing affluence and globalisation, with Malaysians taking to western fast-food outlets, while leading increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

"In Malaysia, most people drive and they want to park their cars as close as possible to their office," he said.

Chua suggested a ban on fast-food advertising in February, a proposal he said Thursday would soon be submitted to Malaysia's cabinet for consideration.

The minister also countered criticism that he was singling out western fast-food outlets, saying Malaysian food vendors selling popular street fare did not advertise, or have promotion campaigns targeting children.

"The fast-food industry is the only industry that advertises aggressively ... We don't want our children to be influenced by unhealthy eating habits early on," he said.