AIA conducted a survey among 10,000 adults across 15 countries in the Asia- Pacific area. The objective of the poll was to obtain a better understanding of how healthy a lifestyle people led. The results were somewhat concerning. The overall average score for people’s satisfaction with their health and what they are doing to become healthier was 61 out of 100. Malaysia ranked sixth out of the 15 countries with a score of 62. Key concerns of Malaysian respondents were that they did not exercise enough, did not get enough sleep, and had too much stress in their lives. Around two-thirds of those surveyed said they wanted to lose weight and just over half said they do not exercise regularly.

A key factor negatively affecting health was time spent on electronic devices. Three-quarters of the Malaysians who completed the survey said that their online and social media activities were becoming addictive. Perhaps more concerning was that in nearly all the countries surveyed, the majority of responders, even those aged under 30, felt they were not as fit now as they were five years ago.

The survey revealed that most people were aware what they needed to do to lead a healthier life, but their problem was actually doing it. This is certainly not a problem unique to Asia.