Ten Community Development Department (Kemas) preschools in the state are taking part in a feasibility study for obesity intervention project ToyBox Malaysia.

ToyBox Malaysia project leader Dr Poh Bee Koon, a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) nutrition professor, said the intervention programme originated from Europe.

“This project aims to prevent obesity in early childhood by targeting behaviours such as drinking, physical activity, snacking and sedentary behaviour.

“The study will be conducted in Kemas preschools, and in Sarawak, we are focusing on Bau and Lundu – 10 Kemas preschools have been identified for the feasibility study,” she said following a courtesy call on Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah yesterday.

She said the project, which started on Jan 1, would initially involve project planning, workshop for planning and assessing preschoolers and the local community, as well as adaptation and translation of ToyBox materials to suit local needs.

“By the middle of the year, we hope to go down to the ground and do a pre-intervention assessment before starting the ToyBox Malaysia Intervention Programme. The programme is for six months, with a focus on four components of drinking, physical activity, snacking and sedentary behaviour.

“After six months, we will go back to the preschools and do an outcome measurement to see if the intervention is effective or not. We will share the findings later,” she said.

Dr Poh pointed out that Malaysia has an overweight prevalence of 44.2 per cent over other Southeast Asian countries.

“We always see news about Malaysia being among the most overweight countries, either in Southeast Asia or Asia. Intervention at adulthood is often not effective, which is why it is important to start the intervention from preschool level. This is the time when children are able to absorb good values and good habits, which hopefully they will bring to adulthood.

“The feasibility study will show whether the ToyBox model can be adapted for Malaysia, as our food, weather and culture are different,” she said.

The study is a collaboration between UKM, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), as well as the United Kingdom’s Roehampton University and Durham University.

Meanwhile, Fatimah said obesity must be given due attention because it relates to non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, in not only adults but children.

“We know that obesity is a problem happening in Malaysia as well as our state. Any steps that are effective in reducing obesity in children will be much welcomed. Starting with a feasibility study, if the approach is effective, then we will extend it to other preschools or kindergartens in the state, not just those under Kemas.

“The conceptual framework is very simple. It is about the food and the activities of the children, and it engages the children, teachers, parents and the community. We are not expecting a big change within six months of the study, but we hope to change the behaviours and habits,” she said.

Among those present during the courtesy call were principal investigator Dr Leigh Gibson from the Roehampton University Psychology Department, Roehampton University Developmental Psychopathology professor Dr Cecilia Essau, and Unimas Medicine and Health Sciences associate professor Dr Cheah Whye Lian.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by Antonia Chiam

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