AIA Healthy Living Index Survey 2016 Findings & Discussion

Hey you can’t buy health; you earn it. There is no short cut to a healthier and fitter you. If you want that body, work it out. So how do you feel about your health lately? Is it getting better, worse or same? Well, with more and more health, nutrition and fitness awareness and activities going on nowadays, according to the AIA Healthy Living Index Survey 2016 on Malaysia’s results, surprisingly 68% Malaysian adults feel that their health has worsened over the last 5 years. Why? What went wrong and how can we improve it? Let’s take a closer look about the survey findings and find out why.

After attending the recent AIA Health Perspective: A Reality Check roundtable discussion, I think we seriously need to look into our lifestyle. Are we getting enough sleep? Do we exercise regularly? Are we eating enough nutritious food to fuel our bodies every day? I doubt so…

AIA Health Perspective: A Reality Check roundtable discussion

However, let’s check out the AIA Health Perspective: A Reality Check roundtable discussion. The panelists consisted of Thomas Isaac, Director of Intuit Research; Indra Balaratnam, Consultant Dietitian of Indra Balaratnam Nutrition; Jacqueline Wong, Head of Learning and Development, Fitness First Asia and the session was moderated by Dr Myralini S. Thesan, Medical Director and Head of Care Management, AIA Health Services Sdn. Bhd.

I was listening to the findings presented by Thomas Isaac for AIA and found out that…Oh no… Malaysia scored 63% which is below the regional average of 64% in 2016 Healthy Living Index! A bit of a background on the survey, this is the third wave of AIA’s landmark survey of over 10,000 adults across 15 countries in Asia Pacific. The first and second survey were conducted in 2011 and 2013 respectively.

The 2016 survey also showed that the 751 Malaysian adults who participated in the survey scored 68 points which is lower compared to the regional average of 73 points, when asked if they were satisfied with their health status. Close to 70% of Malaysian adults felt their health was not as good as it was 5 years ago. Even worrying is that 61% of the respondents are under age 30 years old, who should in fact be in the prime of their health. Puzzling isn’t it?

Obesity is also another growing concern with 55% of Malaysian adults who are either pre-obese or obese, based on BMI. This is considered a glaring statistic. This is true enough as 61% of Malaysian adults want to lose an average of 8.5 kg , placing Malaysia among the top three countries with the highest weight-loss targets.

According to Indra Balaratnam, the Consultant Dietitian, incorporating a healthy diet in our lifestyle does not necessarily have to be expensive. We can choose to eat moderately and add more vegetables and fruits to our meals apart from drinking more water daily. However, Malaysian adults still have the perception that healthy food is expensive, does not taste very good and is harder to prepare. Plus more than 80% admitted that they eat in front of their screens and more often than not, indulge in unhealthy snacks.

When it comes to the topic of exercise, Malaysian adults claim that they exercise regularly about 2.6 hours a week. FYI, this is lower than the regional average of 3 hours and the minimum 3.5 hours a week is recommended by most fitness experts.

It is almost expected to find out that Malaysian adults spend more time on the internet for non-work purposes which is 4.1 hours a day as compared to the hours dedicated to exercising. Interesting facts, the question is “Are you one of them?”

However hope has not abandoned us! Malaysian adults show signs of positivity with 91% who admit that they can definitely do more to improve their health. It’s encouraging that 75% said they have taken some small steps to want to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

It’s good to know that we as Malaysians want to improve our health but how can we make it sustainable when screen time is a big threat to healthy living? According to the panelists,, a healthy lifestyle starts with setting realistic goals, taking small steps, do what we enjoy and are good at and most important of all, is to start now. It’s good to start with a group of friends or family to encourage each other to achieve our goals.

Thomas Wong, Chief Marketing Officer of AIA Bhd. (far right) with the panelists. Thomas was present at the roundtable discussion to introduce the AIA Healthy Living Index Survey 2016

Overall, Malaysian adults are not satisfied with their current state of health and are willing to improve it. The survey has shown that we have a truck load of bad habits that hinder us from achieving a healthy lifestyle. We eat in front of the screens, we snack on unhealthy junk food plus we indulge in late night suppers. Out of all the habits cultivated, the screen time is the biggest threat. We only exercise 2.6 hours a week verses 4.1 hours a day on screens. Since we are spending so much time on our gadgets, perhaps there should be a comprehensive motivational application that could help us monitor our exercise routine, daily movement, diet or meal plan, how many hours we sleep, get rewarded when we hit our goals and at the same time help us to connect with people who share the same goal. Would AIA have something up their sleeves that could actually help Malaysians lead a healthy lifestyle?

Thomas Wong, Chief Marketing Officer of AIA Bhd. said “With rising medical costs, people must be encouraged to make healthier lifestyle choices. At AIA, we want to do more than simply pay claims; we want to play an active role in empowering and incentivising Malaysians to make sustained changes to their lifestyles on a daily basis so that we become a healthier nation.”

Had a coffee chat with Khir Khalid, blogger and motivator who also attended the roundtable discussion after the event

You can’t buy health, you got to earn it. To do this, we can take one step at a time and set achievable goals towards a more sustainable healthier lifestyle together with our family and friends. Keep up with the good vibes!

For more information about AIA Healthy Living Index Survey 2016 Malaysia findings, please visit AIA Malaysia Website