According to the 2022 National Health and Morbidity Survey, about 6% also faced issues related to excess weight, noted health director-general Dr Radzi Abu Hassan.

“The issue of double burden malnutrition and non-communicable nutrition-related diseases is a national concern that requires comprehensive and holistic addressing, involving various relevant parties.

“The situation remains a significant public health problem, with 50.1% of Malaysians being overweight or obese in 2019,” he said at the launch of the initiative here today.

HER represents early advocacy to all parties on efforts to prevent and control malnutrition and non-communicable nutrition-related diseases.

The initiative also aims to prevent and control nutritional problems among women of reproductive age between 15 and 49 years old.

Radzi emphasised the need to promptly address nutritional problems among women to prevent implications on future generations.

“This aligns with the HER slogan, ‘Healthy Women Give Birth to Healthy Generations’,” he said.

HER is a three-pronged initiative. As the first strategy, #HERNutrition aims to strengthen the dissemination of nutrition information to women in various phases of reproductive life, including students, workers, singles, married individuals, and mothers.

#HERselfcare aims to raise awareness about the importance of regular self-examination and health screening, enabling women of reproductive age to enter pregnancy in better health, with early detection and control of any health issues.

The third strategy is based on community empowerment, aiming to provide a supportive and conducive environment for healthy eating practices at work through #HER@Work, at educational institutions through #HER@Campus, and within the community through #HER@Community.