{"id":44889,"date":"2020-09-14T10:49:16","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T02:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=44889"},"modified":"2020-10-08T11:34:25","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T03:34:25","slug":"stay-healthy-avoid-costly-medical-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/stay-healthy-avoid-costly-medical-bills","title":{"rendered":"Can Staying Healthy Really Help You Avoid Costly Medical Bills?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We all know how easy it is to lose track of our health when pursuing careers and taking care of our family.<\/p>\n

Sitting all day in an air-conditioned office, a daily diet of fast food and not allowing enough time to exercise, rest and sleep is a routine that many of us find easy to fall into without realising the long term risks of this lifestyle.<\/p>\n

This deadly combination of lifestyle choices can easily lead to medical conditions that puts you at high risk for non – communicable diseases (NCDs) and critical illnesses. They are not only life-threatening but also costly, both financially and emotionally.<\/p>\n

What’s scary is you may not notice the signs until it\u2019s too late. NCDs and critical illnesses don’t usually happen overnight but are often the result of years of bad eating habits and lifestyle choices.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Over 20 million Malaysians are at risk<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO),<\/a> NCDs are estimated to account for 74% of all deaths in Malaysia. In fact, two-thirds of Malaysians<\/a> already have at least one of three NCD risk factors and the number is increasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
NCD risk factors<\/strong><\/th>2006 (%)<\/strong><\/th>2011 (%)<\/strong><\/th>2015 (%)<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Diabetes<\/td>11.6<\/td>15.2<\/td>17.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hypertension<\/td>32.2<\/td>32.7<\/td>30.3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
High Cholesterol<\/td>28.2<\/td>43.9<\/td>47.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Overweight<\/td>29.1<\/td>29.4<\/td>30.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Obesity<\/td>14.0<\/td>15.1<\/td>17.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n
Note: Data is for population aged 15 years\u2019 and above.<\/em>
\nSource: National Strategic Plan For Non-Communicable Disease 2016-2025, Ministry of Health, Malaysia, Pg. 5<\/a><\/em><\/h6>\n

While we cannot avoid falling sick, we have the power to lower the risk by staying healthy and keeping tabs on our health. We can do this by going for regular health checks and being prepared.<\/p>\n

However, the reality is many Malaysians do not bother to take this simple step to lower their health risks. The 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS<\/a>) had revealed that a high proportion of Malaysians had undiagnosed NCD risk factors that led to late diagnosis and treatment with more medical complications.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s better to know your health risks early and take steps to prevent them.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The power to lower your health risk is in your hands<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The first step is prevention.<\/p>\n

You can get started with simple steps that you can achieve in your daily life today. Making simple adjustments<\/a> to how you eat, making time to relax and get plenty of sleep as well as staying physically active goes a long way to increase your chances of staying healthy<\/p>\n

Taking small steps to safeguard your health now also means you’ll save money on over the counter and prescription medicine to treat various ailments down the road.<\/p>\n

The human body is subject to many changes as we age, and getting regular health checks is a good way to monitor your health regularly.<\/p>\n

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Now, you can easily keep your health milestones on track with AIA Vitality<\/a> which rewards you for getting regular health checks and you can earn a Yearly Cash Bonus if you level up your healthy activities to reach Gold and Platinum status.<\/p>\n

Bring Vitality<\/em> into your daily life and earn more points!<\/p>\n