• High Rates of Internet Addiction Affecting Exercise, Sleep and Posture
• Preference for Sedentary Stress Relief Exacerbates Health Threat

Kuala Lumpur, 8 January 2014 – There is universal agreement among Malaysians that healthy living is important, but 67% of adults in Malaysia feel their health is not as good as it was five years ago, with 62% of adults under age 30 agreeing with this sentiment. The survey shows that Malaysian adults also scored lower than the regional average (6.6 vs. 7.0 out of 10) in terms of their satisfaction with their health status.

Malaysia scores 61 out a possible 100 points in the 2013 AIA Healthy Living Index - AIA Group’s landmark survey of over 10,000 adults in 15 Asia Pacific markets - showing much room for improvement. The survey also uncovers new modern-day threats to healthy living such as Internet addiction and concerns about being overweight.

Bill Lisle, Chief Executive Officer of AIA Bhd. said, “AIA is very committed to helping Malaysians live longer, healthier lives. Through this extensive survey, we are keen to identify and to enhance awareness of the key trends that impact the health of adults so we can actively work with the community and our customers to promote more positive attitudes.” 

Internet Addiction Affecting Sleep, Exercise and Posture

This year’s survey unveiled Internet addiction as a new threat to healthy living. Although internet penetration in Malaysia is not as high as in some of the other markets in the region, 73% of Malaysian adults interviewed agree that their online activities and social networking are becoming addictive, ranking Malaysia amongst the highest percentage in the region. 

Spending time online is seen as a barrier that is preventing many adults from getting enough exercise (81%), enough sleep (81%) while also affecting their posture (80%). This addiction trend will continue to be fuelled by children growing up with the Internet as an integral part of their lives. 

Preference for Sedentary Stress Relief Exacerbates Health Threat from Already Poor Habits

Malaysia also fares poorly on healthy habits with 32% of adults admitting that they do not exercise regularly. On average, Malaysians get only 2.5 hours of exercise a week, below the regional average of 3 hours and below the ideal recommended by most experts.  

Sufficient sleep is rated the most important driver of healthy living in Malaysia and the region. While adults in Malaysia desire 8.0 hours of sleep, they actually get only 6.4 hours of sleep on average, leading to a sleep gap of 1.6 hours, the third highest in the region. Spending time online is one of the causes of this sleep deprivation. 

These not very positive health habits are aggravated by a preference for sedentary means of stress relief such as watching TV/movies (67%), playing computer or mobile games (50%) and spending time online (48%) - higher than exercising or playing a sport (only 47% although this is higher than the regional average of 39%). Spending time with family and children (53%) or friends (47%) is also a popular way to de-stress for Malaysians. 

Meanwhile, healthy food habits are still limited to the basics of drinking more water as well as eating more fruits and vegetables, although 56% of Malaysian adults are also trying to eat less sweets and snacks. 

Concern about obesity is one indicator of the impact of poor health habits; 64% of Malaysian adults say they want to lose weight, above the regional average of 53%. Further, 93% agree that obesity among younger people is a worrying trend, suggesting that the problem is likely to grow.

Health Concerns High, but Limited Action Taken

Cancer (50%), heart disease (45%) and being overweight (25%) are the top health concerns in Malaysia, with the former two being above regional averages. Despite these concerns, only 50% of Malaysian adults had medical check-ups in the past 12 months.

The study found that 89% of adults in Malaysia feel that employers should help employees live a healthy lifestyle, mainly by providing free health checks, not subjecting employees to undue stress and ensuring workloads are not excessive. 

Launched in 2011, the AIA Healthy Living Index is a survey conducted to understand how people feel about their health and the extent of their health habits, as well as their concerns and hopes for a healthier way of life. Commissioned by the AIA Group and conducted by TNS, an independent, global research company, the 2013 survey involved one-to-one interviews with 10,245 adults between the ages of 18 and 65 across 15 markets.

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