Lagging behind India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, the Philippines is still one of the unhealthiest countries in Asia, according to study.
Based on a survey by insurance giant AIA Group, the Philippines scored 61 out of 100, three points lower than the regional average of 64. The country is tied ninth overall with Korea, India and Singapore.
The Philippines ranked lower this year compared with similar surveys in 2011 and 2013, Intuit Research director Thomas Isaac said. Hongkong-based Intuit Research was tapped by AIA to conduct the regional survey.
“Scores in the Philippines have practically remained static,” Isaac said in a press presentation on Thursday. “It received a score of 63 in the 2011 survey and 61 in the 2013 survey.”
“Eighty percent of adults in the Philippines are not really satisfied with their health,” the research author said, noting that the survey was conducted face to face with 764 Filipinos.
According to the study, forty-four percent of adults are overweight due to lack of exercise and poor eating habits, but only 25 percent are concerned about losing weight.
Seventy-four percent of adults claim to exercise regularly. On average, however, they exercise only 2.1 hours a week, lower than the regional average of three hours, and well below what most fitness experts would recommend.
Unhealthy food habits are common as 84 percent admitted they tend to eat while distracted, 81 percent said they're eating unhealthy snacks between meals and 71 percent would have their dinners close to bed time.
The study draws fears that internet addiction would become a modern day threat to healthy lifestyle.
“Though Internet adoption is still lower in the Philippines relative to some other markets in the region, Internet and smartphone use are growing rapidly and social networking is extremely popular among those who are online,” the research director said.
Fifty-two percent of Filipino adults admit to being addicted to the internet, slightly lower that the regional average of 57 percent. Adults in Philippines spend 1.1 hours a day online for non-work related activities, much lower that the average of three hours.
Aside from the internet, too much time watching TV and playing video games are other reasons for the Filipinos's unhealthy condition. Thirty percent of parents admit their children don't get enough exercise and 22 percent said their kids do not get sufficient sleep.
The main health concerns are heart disease, stroke, diabetes, respiratory illnesses and cancer. In addition, a significant number of Filipinos admit to having concerns about mental well-being such as Alzheimer's or senility, anxiety and depression.
Source: PhilStar
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