Affiliations 

  • 1 International Islamic University Malaysia
MyJurnal

Abstract

Over the last decade, Malaysia has witnessed a steady rise in obesity rate. The overweight and obese now comprise of half its 30 million population. This figure is broken down into 30 percent in the overweight category and 17.7 percent in the obese category, according to the 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey.1 This is an increase of four times from what was reported in 1996, at 4.4 percent.2 World Health Organization (WHO) definition of obesity is body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared.3 As the general population get heavier, the average BMI of ICU admissions have also increased. From the International Nutrition Survey (INS) 2014, the average BMI of critically ill patients admitted to Serdang Hospital was 26 kg/m2 higher than the Asian average at 23.6 kg/m2 . 4 Being obese puts the patients at a greater risk of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, sleep apnoea, fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, and many other serious medical conditions.