Headline : Malaysian men not focused on health

NST
Date :03/05/2004
Page : 09
Byline : By Ranjeetha Pakiam; Zeeneeshri Ramadass; R.S. Kamini
Type: News

KUALA LUMPUR, Sun. - Malaysian men, take heed: You are not as healthy as you may think you are.
Compared to men in the west, Malaysian men were not enjoying the best of health, said a medical expert who noted this in a Klang valley study conducted recently.
The study showed that 67 per cent of men over the age of 58 had two or more medical conditions than their counterparts in western countries.
Urologist Prof Datuk Tan Hui Meng said the study was conducted in the Klang Valley because it had the most affluent and educated people.
"Although men in the Klang Valley are supposed to be more health-conscious and have better access to good medical facilities, I find their health to be poor compared to those in developed Asian countries and the West," said Prof Tan.
"Most men here are ignorant about health care. "Almost 70 per cent of men do not go for a complete medical check-up," he noted.
According to him, men seem to think that urine and blood tests were all it took for a complete medical check-up.
"This is not true because these tests alone cannot detect all diseases," he said at the First Malaysian Conference on Anti-Aging Medicine today.
Speaking on Men's Health and Aging, Tan advised men to go for thorough medical check-ups.
He also said that a huge number of Asian men wanted to appear "macho", indulging in high-risk sports.
"This macho culture discourages them from taking care of their health," Prof Tan said.
Another speaker, National Academy of Sports director Dr Ramlan Abd Aziz, said that physical exercise was the most practical and effective way to slow down the aging process.
In his paper on Exercise, The Ultimate Anti-Aging Pill, he said exercise would prevent age-related muscle loss and strength.
"Active aging is what people should be seeking to achieve, as the biggest fear most people have about old age is not death but the loss of independence," he observed.
(END)