44 out of 100 Malaysians inactive and not healthy

KOTA KINABALU: Forty-four Malay­sians out of every 100 are inactive and this is affecting their health.


They neither exercise nor carry out any kind of activity to keep themselves healthy, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.

Quoting the national health and morbidity survey done in 2006, she said it was easy to exercise and it could be done anywhere, including at home, the work place and shopping malls.

Taking this into consideration, the ministry launched its 10,000 Steps A Day campaign in June 2009 to encourage healthy living among Malaysians.

Apart from promoting exercise, the campaign is also aimed at educating Malaysians on non-contagious diseases such as heart problems, obesity and diabetes.

“The number of sufferers of these diseases is increasing due to an unhealthy lifestyle,” she said at the launch of the state-level senior citizens’ day celebration here on Saturday.

At another event in Petaling Jaya, Rosnah said the ministry had launched a national plan to promote the importance of oral hygiene among the young.

The National Oral Hygiene Plan has seven key goals, including the target to have 50% of children aged six free of dental caries by the year 2020. The plan also hopes to see at least 60% of citizens aged 60 to still have at least 20 perfect teeth intact by then.

The plan would see the Govern­ment working with private agencies and non-governmental organisations in dental care, Rosnah said at the launch of World Oral Health Day at Tropicana Mall yesterday.