Four out of five teenagers in Malaysia not physically active, says Dr Zaliha

PUTRAJAYA: Four out of five teenagers in the country are physically inactive, said Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

In addition, two out of three teenagers practise fitness activities at a sedentary level, she said in the Suara Menteri slot broadcast in conjunction with the Health Promotion in Learning Institutions (Hepili) Programme 2023 virtual assembly on Thursday (July 6).

ALSO READ: Poor report card for adolescent health

"More and more of our teenagers are not active. So, why wait, let's start now. Exercise every day. Only 30 minutes, five times a week. Easy isn't it?," she said.

Dr Zaliha, in the virtual assembly themed 'We want to live healthy', said that despite being a busy person, it did not stop her from doing daily exercise to take care of her health.

Also giving speeches were Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.

In his speech, Fahmi encouraged the public to do stretching known as X-break, which is a physical activity performed within three to five minutes after sitting for a long time, which is more than two hours.

Meanwhile, Yeoh said that at a young age an individual needs to be active to build endurance and character, while Fadhlina said the hot weather is not an excuse not to do exercise as it can be done indoors and in closed areas.

The virtual assembly was attended by approximately 548,000 participants from all over the country. - Bernama