M'sian city mayor says 30% of Kuantan council staff are obese, may shut down elevators for a day

The Kuantan City Council (MBK) in Malaysia will be taking immediate action to tackle the issue of obesity among its employees.

The news was delivered by Kuantan Mayor Razihan Adzharuddin after a ceremony for the Kuantan Ramadhan Bazaar Best Organiser and Trader Awards on Tuesday (Mar. 25), Malaysian media Bernama reported.

He said that 30 per cent, or one third of its over 1,300 employees, are either overweight or obese.

Razihan said that MBK only recently appointed a panel clinic, which allowed them to profile the health of their staff.

"A cross-examination found that 30 per cent of MBK staff are in the obese category with excessive BMI (Body Mass Index) readings," he said.

Razihan said that a temporary solution to the issue would be to stop the elevators for one day to encourage staff to use the stairs.

54.4 per cent of adult M'sians are overweight

In 2024, the Malaysian Ministry of Health revealed that 54.4 per cent, or over half, of all Malaysian adults are either overweight or obese.

The Ministry had cited statistics from the 2023 National Health and Morbidity Survey, which shows that the figure of overweight or obese Malaysian adults had grown from 50.1 per cent in 2019 to 54.4 per cent in 2023.

They also urged Malaysians to eat healthily, get active, and avoid cigarettes and alcohol.

Top image via Pahang Media/Facebook and Canva