Pinoys have worst health habits in Asia, says survey

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos have the worst unhealthy eating habits, the least number of sleeping hours a day, the highest level of preventable medical conditions, but the most optimistic.

Based on a survey conducted by Sun Life Financial Asia across eight Asian countries, Filipinos have the highest levels of family history of chronic illness, yet they are also the most positive about their physical health.

Sun Life’s Asia Health Index shows that Filipinos have among the highest awareness in health, but also among the highest in their inability to exercise regularly.

Sunlife Financial Philippine president and chief executive officer Riza Mantaring said that Filipinos were defined as overworked, overweight, overwhelmed yet overoptimistic.

“There is such a huge disconnect between what Filipinos do and what Filipinos know must be done,” Mantaring said in a press presentation yesterday.

The survey covered 5,200 respondents in Vietnam, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong, and the Philippines. All respondents ranged from 25 to 55 years age group.

“We refer to them – in the Philippines – as generation O or GenO,” the Sunlife Philippines chief executive said. Philippine respondents came from Metro Manila, and the cities of Cebu and Davao.

The index shows that 62 percent of Filipinos do not exercise regularly, and 45 percent (highest) admit to a habit of unhealthy eating.

The top three favorite “excuse” of the respondents are: lack of time due to work; distractions such as television and the Internet; and, lack of personal motivation.

And 46 percent (again the highest) get less than six hours of sleep, and 60 percent are most dissatisfied with their levels of stress.

Most Filipinos want to change their behavior in stress management, or 67 percent of mean 38-percent regionally.

The Philippines scored highest in terms of largely preventable health conditions experienced by family members such as diabetes and heart disease or stroke.

Yet, The Filipinos are the most positive about their physical health, or 77 percent vs the mean of 62-percent regionally.

More than three-quarter worry about the cost of healthcare at retirement, but remain optimistic that they will get over health requirement.