An update on obesity research pattern among adults in Malaysia: a scoping review

Abstract

BackgroundObesity is a global health burden in the non-communicable diseases and much efforts have been implemented in the past decade in response to the rise of obesity prevalence among the Malaysian population. These include the development of the national policies, health programmes and research activities. The main aim of the scoping review was to identify obesity research pattern among adults in Malaysia in terms of the scopes, topics and the research designs.MethodsThe scoping review was conducted based on the framework by Arksey and O’Malley. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis (PRISMA) diagram was used as a guide to record the review process. Articles from year 2008 until 2017 on overweight and obesity among adults aged 18 years and above were retrieved based on the keywords using electronic databases (Embase/Ovid, Pubmed, Cochrane library and Google Scholar). Local journals, Nutrition Research in Malaysia Biblography (2011 and 2016), online local theses databases, virtual library databases were also included in the searches. Consultations with relevant key informants from the National Institutes of Health and local universities were also conducted. Search activities were managed using Endnote software and MS Excelsheet.ResultsThe characteristics of the results were described based on the objectives of the review. A total of 2004 articles and reports were retrieved, and 188 articles related to obesity in Malaysia were included in the final review. Scopes and topics of obesity research based on the Nutrition Research Priorities in Malaysia (NRPM) for 11th Malaysia Plan were obesity prevalence, weight loss intervention, association of physical activities and dietary factors with obesity. The majority of obesity research among adults in Malaysia was cross sectional studies and only a small number of intervention studies, qualitative studies and systematic review were indentified. Research gaps were identified in order to make useful recommendations to the stakeholders.ConclusionsIn the past decade, there has been an emerging evidence on obesity research among adults in Malaysia. More obesity research needs to be conducted particularly on obesity intervention among specific gender, qualitative studies, economic cost and genetic factors of obesity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12905-018-0590-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Causal Effect of Visceral Adipose Tissue Accumulation on the Human Longevity: A Mendelian Randomization Study

“…Besides, visceral fat is regional fat depots that are located inside the abdominal cavity and stored around the abdominal organs, can be estimated accurately by magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and has also been utilized to evaluate visceral fat ( 25 ). Previous observational studies revealed that obesity was closely related to all-cause mortality ( 14 , 26 , 27 ). A pooled analysis of 20 prospective studies showed that extreme obesity (BMI 40.0–59.9 kg/m 2 ) may shorten life expectancy by up to 14 years ( 15 ).…”

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“…Between 1996 [23] and 2015 [24], the prevalence of obesity among adults in Malaysia showed a four-fold increase, surging from 4.4% to 17.7%. In 2011 and 2015, the prevalence of being overweight among Malaysian adults was 29.4% and 30%, respectively, while during the same period, obesity accounted for 15.1% and 17.7%, respectively [25]. In the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, the current prevalence of obesity among Malaysian adults was 19.7% [26].…”

“…Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Terengganu, and Sabah showed the lowest rates of obesity (15.7%-18.6%) in comparison to other states in Malaysia [26]. Between 2011 and 2019, there was an alarming rate of increase in obesity among adults in Selangor (17.1% and 19.3%) [26], a highly populated state in Malaysia [25]. As well as geographic patterning, there are ethnic disparities in the prevalence of obesity among Malaysian adults.…”

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“…The findings from the latest National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS 2016) suggested that the prevalence of MetS risk factors has increased rapidly in recent years [2], while a few studies showed a remarkably high prevalence of MetS clustering among Malaysians [3]. This is partly a result of rapid socio-economic development, which comes at the expense of healthy diet and active lifestyle [4,5].…”