Gluttony and greed, said to be among the seven deadly sins, obviously go hand in hand in Malaysia when we consider the fact that Malaysians comprise the highest number of obese people compared to other countries in Asia!

Surely, this revelation is no "Malaysia Boleh" feat.

This and other alarm signals that Malaysians are less conscious about their health were made by the Health Ministry last year. Because Malaysians are lax about exercising and have no qualms carrying on with their unhealthy lifestyle, the situation has led to a scenario where each day 110 Malaysians suffer a stroke, a disease which has become the country's third killer after cancer and heart attack.

More worries in store - more and more Malaysians of younger age are being inflicted with diabetes, an incurable disease which if uncontrolled can prove fatal. Deputy Director of Disease Control Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar told the press recently that many youths above the age of 20 were diabetics primarily due to their eating habits.

Zainal added that many Malaysians became diabetics no thanks to obesity, unhealthy diet and a secondary lifestyle, with urbanisation and industrialisation having had a hand to play.

Too much to eat!

Meanwhile president of the Malaysians Association for the Study of Obesity, Professor Mohd Ismail had recently lamented in the media that a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits have resulted in Malaysia topping the chart as the country with the highest rate of obesity in Asia. He said matter-of-factly that Malaysians were eating too much but not getting enough exercise.

Obesity is associated with five of the 10 leading causes of death and disability in Malaysia, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent), stroke, some forms of cancer and hypertension. Obesity also substantially raises the risk of illness from high cholesterol, gallbladder diseases and arthritis.

Further need to worry comes as more children are overtipping the scales towards becoming overweight or obese. In 1990, the prevalence of obesity among children between 13 and 17 stood at 0.7 per cent but seven years later it increased to 5. 7 per cent. It is said that 15 per cent of 12,000 Malaysian children are consuming fast food every day.

A Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia/Nestle study a few years ago of 11, 264 schoolchildren aged between seven and 12 in four regions of Peninsular Malaysia i.e.north, south, east and central showed that 10.8 per cent boys and 10.3 per cent girls were overweight.

Studies have also shown that overweight children tend to become overweight adults.

No pain no gain

When it comes to fitness and health issues, Youth and Sports Minister Azalina Othman Said has this much to say - no pain no gain. A staunch advocate of fitness of the body and mind, she has decided to "wake" up the slumbering Malaysians to get physical.

One of her efforts include setting up the National Council for Fitness (NCF), which will see four ministries pooling resources to promote health awareness to everyone.

The collaboration involves the Health Ministry and the Housing and Local Government Ministry as well as the National Unity and Integration Department (under the purview of the Prime Minister's Department).

While no details were provided by Azalina on just how the council is set to play a role in tackling the issues of obesity in the country, she did say that facilities in rural areas will be provided by the Housing and Local Government Ministry to encourage people in the rural areas to exercise.

Azalina is also asking private companies to come forward and sponsor the setting up of the No Pain No Gain (NPNG) sports centres in the country. The first such centre is located in Sungai Buloh and cost a dear RM3.5 million to build.

While this vibrant minister's efforts are much lauded, it does seem that Azalina is missing several points in advocating the fitness for all concept.

The fear of every grand creation turning into a white elephant has its roots. Azalina herself pointed this out when she said that the RM30 to RM40 million spent by the government to built stadiums seem wasted as these stadiums have not been fully utilised. Just why these stadiums have not been utilised to its optimum is a point for Azalina to cogitate.

No politicising of NCF

It is sincerely hoped that the National Council for Fitness will not become yet another government entity shrouded with bureaucracy and the infamous red tape headaches. If sports is to be made available to all, for health and for unity, then the issue of accessibility has to be seriously considered by Azalina,since the NCF workings comes under her ministry.

Do not let history repeat itself where grand facades are provided with the hope that it will add glory to the country's esteem but they only end causing inconvenience to the people. One such good example is the National Library which while playing an important role is not accessible to those without cars, as public transport was not a criteria that was looked into when building the library at the busy and traffic-congested area of Jalan Tun Razak.

In the case of the pioneer NPNG centre in Sungai Buloh, it boasts of impressive facilities i.e. gymnasium, massage room and interchangeable courts for futsal, volleyball, netball and basketball. It is praiseworthy that a private company has taken the lead by heeding Azalina's call for private companies to do their social bit for society.

Yet, in making sports attractive to one and all and in promoting good health to all Malaysians, the youth and sports minister has to thoroughly study several aspects:

  • to ensure that the NPNG centres are accessible to the target group.

  • the NPNG fee again be within the reach of the target group.

  • other NPNG centres be built in areas where there is an absence of such facilities, shifting the concentration from city to outskirts. If response from the private sector is dismal, consider the possibility of converting or upgrading some of the expensive Rakan Muda centres into No Pain No Gain outlets.

  • the health of the elderly and the disabled too should not be forgotten and avenues should be made available for senior citizens and the disabled to indulge in some form of exercises.

    • Azalina has taken the first step in displaying her seriousness in making fitness a priority among Malaysians. Her next effort must be to make sure that there must be no preference or discrimination in who gets to utilise the facilities provided.

    In other words, she has to ensure the National Council for Fitness woks real hard to live up to its theme of "Sports for all, sports for unity and sports for a healthy lifestyle".

    JJ RAY started her career with a mainstream publication. A non-conformist, she soon saw the barriers that went up whenever, through her writing, she tried to make the world a home for one and all.