The unhealthy lifestyle of Maltese adolescents

A World Health Organisation study on the health behaviour of school-aged children in 35 countries has revealed that the Maltese have some of the unhealthiest habits of all.

In certain age groups, Malta ranks very low in nutritional intake, exercise and mental and emotional health, and very high in weight and alcohol consumption.

Perhaps the most alarming statistic of all is that related to drink. Maltese 15-year-olds consume alcohol more regularly than any other nationality: 36 per cent of the boys of this age and 33 per cent of the girls report drinking spirits weekly, while 31 and 16 per cent respectively drink wine every week, according to the study.

"Alcohol consumption by young people is indeed very high in Malta," the report on Malta says.

"There are a number of reasons for this, including availability, legal age for selling alcohol, considering alcohol as being part of our culture and the fact that children have their first alcoholic drink within the home."

The study, of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds, is done every four years in countries including many European ones, former communist states, as well as Canada and the US. In Malta, the study was carried out with the participation of the Health Promotion Department, with Marianne Massa as the principal investigator.

Other statistics emerging from the study reveal similarly worrying trends. Only 19 per cent of Maltese boys and 24 per cent of girls eat vegetables - which along with fruit is the foundation of a healthy diet - on a daily basis. Only in Italy were the figures lower. In Belgium, Israel, Ukraine, France, Canada, Holland and Poland, the highest ranking countries, more than four in 10 adolescents eat vegetables every day.

"The vegetable consumption of Malta's adolescents is considerably low, particularly when one considers that Malta is a Mediterranean country," the report says.

To make matters worse, Maltese adolescents have by far the highest consumption of sweets among all participating countries, with 59 per cent of boys and 55 per cent of girls aged 11-15 eating sweets daily. Ireland comes next with 48 and 49 per cent respectively.

Italian children don't seem to have much of a sweet tooth, at least making up for their low vegetable consumption, with only 36 per cent of boys and 37 per cent of girls indulging in sweets every day.

More than 10 per cent of Maltese boys and girls aged 13 report smoking weekly, and seven per cent of 15-year-old boys report using cannabis more than three times over the previous year.

When it comes to physical activity, boys in Malta are far more active than girls, but still only around 38 per cent meet WHO's physical activity guidelines, compared to nearly 60 per cent in the US and nearly 50 per cent in the UK, the highest ranking countries.

And most Maltese girls appear to have no inclination to exercise whatsoever. Just 14 per cent - the fewest among all the nationalities under study - meet the guidelines. In the US more than 40 per cent do so.

Maltese 13-year-old girls are also the heaviest in relation to their height. Their body mass index is the highest in all the countries studied. More than 30 per cent of these girls are considered to be well above the average weight of their population.

The study also explored aspects of mental and emotional health, and here too Maltese adolescents appear to be having a tougher time than their counterparts in a lot of other countries. More than 15 per cent of 13-year-old boys and 30 per cent of girls the same age report feeling "low" twice or more times a week, for example.

More Maltese adolescents than any other nationality say they feel pressure at school: 70 per cent of boys and 85 per cent of girls. The nearest figures are those of the UK, with 60 and 70 per cent respectively. Holland is the country with the least number of boys and girls feeling school pressure, with just under 20 and 30 per cent respectively.

The local study was based on 3,600 questionnaires sent to all schools in Malta and Gozo. The response rate was 90 per cent.

Earlier this week, it was announced that a national coalition of organisations had been set up to tackle problems faced by adolescents caused by drugs, alcohol, diet, psychological stress and sexually transmitted disease.

The health ministry initiative brings together the health promotion, education and youth and sport departments, OASI Foundation, sedqa, appogg, Caritas and the College of Family Medical Practitioners. Their aim is to coordinate and improve the variety of services in Malta that target youth.

"In today's borderless world and fast life, Maltese youths are subject to pressures that could easily cause them problems, and ultimately it must be the state that offers the necessary remedies," the government said when announcing the formation of the coalition.

Dr Mario Spiteri, director of the health promotion unit and chairman of the coalition, said one of the first priorities would be to tackle the problem of binge drinking among youth, with each member of the coalition tackling it from their own area of specialisation but in a concerted effort.