Page 66 - AEI Insights 2018 Vol 4 Issue 1

AEI Insights, Vol 4, Issue 1, 2018

information from multiple information sources dealing with food intake, weight and health is
therefore increasingly important for preventing and treating obesity. Information can be gained
from government and health care institutions, newspapers, Internet pages, social media etc.
The Internet in general, and social media in particular are growing resources for health
information, which are reshaping traditional health care by offering constant, cost-effective
support for people.

According to Seidelll and Halberstadt (2015), the global figure for obesity and overweight is
approximately 30 per cent of the population and in 2030 it may have increased even to about
50 per cent. This causes an increasing prevalence of a number of obesity related illnesses – a
global problem (Gallus et al., 2015). A closer look at the statistics for the two countries in this
study (Sweden and Malaysia) reveals that the number of obese Swedes is about 14 per cent and
rising, the number for overweight is 50 per cent for men and about 33 per cent for women.

Statistics for Malaysia, (WHO report in 2010) reported that it was the country with the highest
percentage of obese people in the ASEAN region. Almost 45 per cent of Malaysian men and
almost half of the women are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity rates are on the rise from
less than 10 per cent ten years earlier to almost 14 per cent in 2008 with increasing numbers of
diabetes, hypertension and obesity related illnesses (The Malaysian Insider, 2014).

Since a healthy lifestyle depends on continuous choices in everyday life, it is important to try
to understand what can influence these choices, i.e. how people acquire and apply information
about health and health risks. This is a complex individual process in different situations of life
with different influencing factors. Healthy choices require information. ‘Health literacy’ is a
term used for how people acquire, understand and use health information, leading to practical
effects on their health, according to WHO (2013) (cf. also Wagner et al., 2009; Mårtensson and
Hensing, 2012). The ability to handle the flow of relevant information, the ability to decide
what information can be trusted and what cannot and the ability to understand what information
can be applied generally versus in specific cases depends on critical evaluation of sources
(Grönlund, 2014).

Three relevant background facts for studying health literacy are (i) the flow of information
about health, food and exercise that reaches people today, (ii) the difficulty in deciding which
information is trustworthy and which is propaganda or commercial advertising in disguise, and
(iii) the difficulty in deciding what information is generally applicable and what is correct
information concerning a specific individual case. It appears important to provide not only
information, but also abilities to critically evaluate information and identify reliable sources of
advice as well as tailored information targeting specific needs.

In general, studies of places where health information is found suggest that it is in school, from
parents and from health care staff, but also increasingly from the internet (blogs, online
journals, social media, YouTube), radio and TV (cf. Brown et al., 2007; Rich, 2011; Kim and
Yon 2012; Chang et al., 2013; Chou et al., 2014; Corcoran and Renwick, 2014). At the same
time, the Internet is today the most easy to use, but also provides much incorrect information.
The Internet overwhelms users with information, which can be confusing and difficult for many
to evaluate as trustworthy or not. Thus, the issue of deciding which information is trustworthy
is becoming more and more important (cf. Grönlund, 2014).

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