Malaysia has the highest number of obesity cases in South-East Asia. The National Health and Morbidity Survey which was carried out in 2019 shows a startling statistic, in which 50.1% of Malaysians were either overweight or obese. The systematic review from the year of 1990 to 2014 shows an increasing prevalence of obesity among Malaysian secondary school students. This indicates that obesity or overweight develops gradually from childhood, in which an obese child could develop into an obese adult. The demand to develop and execute various practices to reduce obesity among secondary school students grows as the number of obesity cases continues to rise. Hence, this qualitative study of semi-structured interviews is undertaken to examine the current practices available in Malaysia to curb obesity among Malaysian secondary students.

The prevalence of obesity among Malaysian secondary school students is increasing gradually. NHMS 2019 reveals that 29.8% children of the age five to 17 years have excess body weight. Prolonged energy imbalancewhich is caused by high calorie diet consumption and physical inactiveness, could lead to excess body weight. Despite several measuresand initiatives,the prevalence of obesity among Malaysian secondary students is hiking up, presumably due to some reasons. Hence, this qualitative study is carried out to investigate the factors contributing toobesity among Malaysian secondary students. A semi-structured interview was conducted incorporating the students, parents, teachers and health officials, after obtaining a written consent. The study shows factors such as environment, existing health condition, dietary pattern and sedentary lifestyle could contribute to obesity.