Malaysians like to see our country topping most lists, but there are some lists which we prefer not to appear on at all. Unfortunately, we, along with our neighbour Indonesia, have recently ended up on one of those sorts of lists. As it turns out, Malaysia is the third laziest country in the world when it comes to walking, with Indonesia topping that list!
Research by Stanford Uni
This unpleasant but unsurprising revelation was uncovered by a team of researchers from Stanford University in the United States. The researchers had been looking to see how active or passive people are from around the globe. As one can guess, a passive or sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity, an international health issue.
Not walking = Obesity issue
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Guess which country in Southeast Asia struggles most with obesity? You’re living in it. World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines recommend people exercise more than two hours per week, but unfortunately, most Malaysians fail to reach this requirement. Little wonder that waistlines have been ballooning as of late.
The study, which was published the journal Nature, was conducted by measuring the average number of people walking daily. Apparently, this study is the largest of its kind and involved taking smartphone data to understand how often people walked. Altogether, the researchers studied the movement patterns of over 700,000 people from 111 countries.
Who is the top, who is the bottom?
Image credit: Seasia Stats
From the results, it was found that Malaysians, on average, walk 3,963 steps per day, far below the global average of 5,000 steps per day. While Malaysia is the world’s thirst laziest country, sitting at number one are our Indonesian cousins, who walk an astounding 3,531 steps per day on average. Indonesia is followed by Saudi Arabia, clocking in at 3,807 steps per day on average. On the plus side, Hong Kong citizens walk the most in the world, averaging 6,880 steps daily.
Why no walk?
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While the study does not go into the possible reasons behind this reluctance to walk, we as Malaysians have some likely excuses for being the laziest country. Firstly, Malaysian car culture is way too dominant, as people are incentivised to drive constantly, even for short distances. Other than that, pedestrian infrastructure is often neglected, with some major roads lacking connectivity for foot traffic. Lastly, Malaysian weather can be hot and humid, making it uncomfortable to walk for long distances.
On social media, Malaysian users reacted to this news with a mix of acceptance and humour. Facebook user Chun Hei Tham said, “I mean, as a Malaysian this is true. We rely more on vehicles than pure walking even at the nearest places.” Another user, Shah Sulaiman, wrote, “That’s why Malaysia always makes supersized malls. They love to walk, provided, under the aircond.”
What do we think?
Is there anything Malaysians really can do to get off this list? When you boil it down, the lack of pedestrian infrastructure and overdependence on private cars is the reason why Malaysians generally don’t get their feet on the ground. Future development projects should look into encouraging Malaysians to walk, perhaps under shaded canopies to beat the heat. But what about you? Do you have any ideas?
You should also check out: Malaysia boleh! Perodua unveils a new EV concept, predicted to be under RM90k.
Feature Image Credit: Canva
