The MOH pilot National Population Health Survey 2016/17 shows more men are overweight, with more of them also suffering from chronic conditions. The survey of more than 3,000 people found that 43 per cent of men aged between 18 and 69 were either obese or overweight, compared with 29 per cent of women.
Compared to the 2010 National Health Survey, the recent results indicate that more people now suffer from high blood pressure and cholesterol. This increase is likely due to both the ageing population and number of people who are overweight.
Professor Teo Yik Ying, Dean, and Dr Chia Shi-Lu, head of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, said the value of such surveys increases as more is done for a longitudinal comparison.
“It is much harder to expect disease trends to change in the short term even with very effective health promotion and prevention policies, since the benefits typically take many years to manifest,” said Prof Teo.
A follow-up survey for 2018/2019 has just started.
Media coverage:
- More men than women have chronic conditions, The Straits Times, 9 September 2018