15.1% of Malaysians aged 18 and above were suffering from obesity as of 2011.

KUALA LUMPUR, (MLP) - Malaysia, notorious for the wide selection of delectable multiracial dishes and food lovers eventually evolved into an increasingly worrying unhealthy nation.
Health minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, recently released a shocking fact that Malaysia was dubbed the fattest country in South East Asia and sixth in the whole of Asia, behind some Middle Eastern countries.
According to National Health and Morbidity Surveys, 15.1% of Malaysians aged 18 and above were suffering from obesity as of 2011. Over 2.6 million adults were obese while over 477,000 children below the age of 18 years were overweight.
It wasn’t only about being overweight, as obesity is also linked to dangerous health risks such as diabetes and cancer, which also showed an increase among Malaysians, especially the younger generation.
Liow blamed these frightening statistics based on our lazy, couch potato lifestyle and lack of exercise.
In an attempt to improve the health situation of Malaysians, the “Healthy Lifestyle With Skipping” program was launched in Hotel Istana yesterday. The program, a joint cooperation between the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur DiRaja and Nestle, aimed to promote skipping as sports activity, particularly among school children by distributing 100,000 skip ropes to 200 schools nationwide.
The organizing chairman of the program, Mohd Ajmal Khan Ahmed Maideen said that skipping competitions in Dataran Merdeka were planned to culminate the skipping culture.