KUCHING: The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has raised concerns, prompting the need for a multi-pronged approach to effectively combat the growing issue.
Having said this, Deputy Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) Minister Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu acknowledged that child obesity is on the rise in the state.
“We have received reports indicating cases of obesity among children. There was a research paper conducted by a professor and it was found that there is a very high percentage of obesity among those aged 15 and below in Padawan area.
“Therefore, this is an issue that we have to tackle because we don’t want to have an unhealthy society,” he said.
He said this to reporters after flagging-off the one-day 2023 state-level Fit Malaysia Roadshow’s fun run and fun ride at the Sarawak Youth and Sports Complex today (Sept 9).
To address the pressing issue, Rentap stressed the importance of a collective effort, particularly in promoting healthy eating habits among children.
“To tackle this issue, one of the approaches is through dietary education as well as promoting one physical activity.
“On the other hand, parents also play an important role in educating their children about healthy eating.
“Most importantly is to cut back on sugars as obesity happens when you take a lot of sugar such as fizzy drinks,” he said.
Among those present include Department of Youth and Sports Sarawak director Lamat Nyalau.
Earlier, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai has urged the government to prioritise early education about the importance of healthy habits as part of a national strategy.
He also said child obesity, a problem that was rare four to five decades ago, has now become a national health concern.
Citing the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, he said, 14.8 percent of children aged between five and 17 were found to be obese, of which saw a significant increase from 6.1 per cent reported in 2011.
Dr Muruga added based on NHMS 2015, a total of 1.65 million Malaysian school children are expected to be overweight by the year 2025.
