OBESE AND DISEASE FREE (ODF) POPULATION IN MALAYSIA: FINDINGS FROM NATIONAL HEALTH AND MORBIDITY SURVEY (NHMS) MALAYSIA 2015

Abstract

Background: Obesity does not always lead to non-communicable diseases. The objective of this paper is to estimate the prevalence of obese and disease-free population among Malaysian adult aged 18 years and above and to determine the lifestyle and dietary factors on this population.

Materials and Methods: Data from the Malaysia National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015, a cross sectional design, applied two stage stratified cluster sampling. Obese and disease-free population was defined as population of obese adults with no known diagnosis of diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Descriptive analysis of the background characteristics was performed and complex sampling was used to determine the prevalence of obese and disease-free population. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with obese and disease free. Data was analysed using SPSS version 25.A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant.

Result: 23.7% of Malaysian adults were obese and disease free. Multivariate analysis showed there were no association between lifestyle determinants (physical activity, smoking and alcohol) and dietary factors (fruits and vegetables intake) on these population. Significant associations were revealed among adults aged 18-24 [aOR: 5.00 (95% CI3.22-7.73)] and 25-44 years old [aOR: 2.45(95%CI 1.65-3.64)]. The Nagelkerke R Square analysis predicted that with each passing year, the probability of these population becoming unhealthy obesity increases by 4.4%.

Conclusion: Obese and disease-free population is present among obese population. No significant association was reported for lifestyle determinants and dietary factors on these population. A focus shift on parameters of metabolic health should be considered.

Keywords: Obese, disease-free, obesity, non-communicable diseases