PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry (MOH) has launched the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines Series and the Healthy Eating Responsibility for Women (HER) initiative to combat the challenge of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases in our country.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said the guidelines series and HER initiative is aimed at addressing malnutrition-related issues, specifically targeted at children, adolescents, maternal individuals, elders and vegetarians.
"The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2022 found that 1 in 5 children had stunting issues, and 6 per cent of children faced overweight problems.
"The prevalence of obesity (and being overweight) among students aged 10 to 17 has increased from 26.9 per cent in 2012 to 30.4 per cent in 2017. This indicates that 1 in 3 school students were overweight or had obesity issues.
"Obesity among adults has also tripled from 1996 to 2006. This situation continues to be a major public health problem, with 50.1 per cent of Malaysians being overweight or obese in 2019," said Dr Muhammad Radzi while officiating the launching ceremony.
Also, he made the remark that women of reproductive age (15 – 49 years) in Malaysia evidently exhibited an inadequate state of health in pregnancy preparation.
"According to NHMS 2019, anaemia prevalence among adolescent girls (15 –17 years) is 34.5 per cent, and among women of reproductive age (15 – 49 years) is 29.9 per cent. The prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women in 2022 was 19.3 per cent.
"Based on these survey findings, it is clear that women of reproductive age in Malaysia have an unsatisfactory health status in preparation for pregnancy," he added.
Dr Muhammad Radzi said the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines Series is equipped with recommendations that are easy to understand and practical for targeted individuals.
"The publication of this dietary guidelines series is also in line with the National Nutrition Policy Malaysia 2.0 and is implemented through activities identified in the National Action Plan for Nutrition Malaysia, 2016-2025.
"The timing of the publication of these dietary guidelines is opportune and aligns with the government's intention, as outlined in the Health White Paper (HWP), to shift the focus from sick care to healthcare, emphasising the prevention of nutrition-related diseases," he said.
On the other hand, Dr Muhammad Radzi said the HER initiative is established as a continuation of the maternal dietary guidelines to address nutritional issues among women of reproductive age.
"HER initiative encourages all women at reproductive age to be mindful of their nutritional status as a preparation for pregnancy and to give birth to healthier generations.
"The initiative has formulated three strategies; first is #HERNutrition, which aims to expand the dissemination of nutrition information widely and accurately to women in various stages of reproductive life.
"Secondly, #HERselfcare, or self-empowerment, is intended to raise awareness of the importance of regular self-examinations and health screenings to prevent health problems and get them controlled from an early stage.
"And lastly; community empowerment, which aims to provide a supportive and conducive environment for women to cultivate healthy eating habits in the workplace," he said.
Dr Muhammad Radzi wished that the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines Series would serve as the primary reference for conveying accurate information to all.
"I sincerely hope that all parties will play an active role in empowering the population with accurate nutrition knowledge and practices, thus realising the government's desire to improve the health status of the people through nutrition," he said.