Obesity is still a worrying public health problem and it is the fifth leading risk for global mortality, killing at least, 2.8 million adults each year globally. Obesity also increases the risk of diabetes, hypertension and increases the risk for the development of coronary heart disease, stroke, breast cancer and obstructive sleep apnoea. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the level and association between knowledge and attitude regarding ideal weight maintenance among adults in Kuala Lumpur.
Methods
A cross-sectional study conducted among 331 adult residents was recruited. Knowledge and attitude on ideal weight maintenance were assessed using a standard questionnaire and the level of physical activity was assessed using IPAQ. The data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0.
Results
More than half of the respondents were female (59.5%), Malay (56.5%) and had their education up to secondary level (53.5). Also, the majority of our respondents were either, unemployed housewives, pensioners or students. The majority of our respondents are found to be obese which is about 48.6 % followed by 29.6 % for normal body mass index, 17.8% for overweight and 3.9 % for underweight. There is a significant difference (p<0.001) in attitude scores on dietary habits between the high and poor knowledge groups.
Conclusion
Increasing the knowledge on weight management improves the attitude towards obesity. It is important to increase awareness among the different ethnicity with their own language to deliver a clear message about the risk factors of obesity.