PUTRAJAYA – Over half a million Malaysian adults are diagnosed with four non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity.
The Health Ministry’s National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 found that 2.5% of adults in Malaysia were diagnosed with the four NCDs.
The survey sample was conducted via face-to-face interviews, self-administered questionnaires, anthropometry measurement and clinical assessment involving 13,616 respondents, from July 11 to September 29 last year.
The study highlighted that heart disease and stroke are two of the main risk factors for those with NCDs.
According to the survey, 2.3 million adults in Malaysia suffer from at least three of the four NCDs.
The survey found that one in six persons in Malaysia has diabetes, making it the country’s biggest cause of mortality.
Meanwhile, 56% of adults with diabetes do not have their blood sugar under control, and 84% of persons between the ages of 18 and 29 do not know they have the disease.
It has been revealed that 29.2% of adult Malaysians have hypertension, and 11.9% of those in the 18 to 39 age range are unaware that they have it.
The report added that 7.5 million (33.3%) adult Malaysians have high cholesterol.
Of these, 41% of adults have high-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol, 27% have low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, and 23% have high triglyceride levels.
Additionally, from 2011 to 2023, the abdominal obesity rate among adult Malaysians has increased significantly.
In 2011, 45.4% of individuals were found to have it, 48.6% in 2015, 52.6% in 2019, and 54.5% last year.
According to the survey, this is because 84% of adults do not participate in sports, fitness, or leisure activities.
Apart from that, the survey also mentioned that Malaysia targets to lower the prevalence of tobacco use from 19% in 2023 to 15% or less by next year. – May 16, 2024