Obesity, hypertension on the increase

The risk of obesity, hypertension and diabetes among the Korean population is rising, possibly due to lack of exercise and excessive sodium intake, the government said in a report released on Monday.

According to a joint report by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence rates of high blood pressure and diabetes in people over 30 years old were 28.5 percent and 9.8 percent in 2011, respectively, a slight increase from 26.9 percent and 9.7 percent in 2010. The proportion of people over 30 who are obese ― defined in Korea as having a body mass index over 25 ― also grew from 34.2 percent in 2010 to 34.5 percent, the report said. The report was based on a survey of 10,000 Koreans over 1 year old.

The study didn’t directly refer to the major causes of the illnesses, but pointed out that a lack of exercise and excessive intake of salty food may have contributed to the rising prevalence of those diseases.

The number of people who exercise on a regular basis dropped from 22.4 percent in 2010 to 19.3 percent last year, the report said. It also stressed that Koreans are taking 4,800 milligrams of sodium daily, more than twice the maximum intake recommended by the World Health Organization. The health-care organization under the United Nations recommends a maximum daily sodium intake of 2,000 milligrams.

The smoking rate among people aged over 19, on the other hand, dropped to 27 percent last year from 27.5 percent in 2010.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)