According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased at an alarming rate globally.Southeast Asia has seen an upward trend in childhood obesity during the last 10 to 15 years.
Malaysia’s food culture may bond people together over a variety of meals. But this same food culture has led to 13.3 percent of Malaysians becoming obese, the highest among Southeast Asian countries. According to a United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) survey, 12.7 percent of Malaysian children aged five to 19 years old are obese, the second highest in Southeast Asia behind Brunei.
There is a growing trend in ASEAN that is not so welcomed – obesity. The prevalence of obesity and being overweight among ASEAN’s citizens is increasing due to rising incomes, and urbanisation. It is also placing a strain on the region’s healthcare systems and government budgets.An obese person can be measured by his or her Body Mass Index (BMI) which measures a person’s weight in relation to their height.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased at an alarming rate globally. In 2016, the number of overweight children under the age of five was estimated to be over 41 million.Southeast Asia has seen an upward trend in childhood obesity during the last 10 to 15 years. An estimated 6.6 million children under five years are currently overweight in the region.
There is a growing trend in ASEAN that is not so welcomed – obesity. The prevalence of obesity and being overweight among ASEAN’s citizens is increasing due to rising incomes, and urbanisation. It is also placing a strain on the region’s healthcare systems and government budgets.An obese person can be measured by his or her Body Mass Index (BMI) which measures a person’s weight in relation to their height.
With the noble goal of pushing a country’s population towards healthier alternatives, the sugar tax is a much-debated topic.
