Maltese boys drink, are overweight and have dirty teeth

About half of Maltese 15-year-old boys drink alcohol every week and consume sweets on a daily basis, according to a survey by the World Health Organisation.

The survey also reveals that Maltese boys use their toothbrush sparingly and it once again confirms Maltese children to be among the most overweight.

The study conducted a collaborative cross-national survey of over 162,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 in 35 countries.

Among other aspects, the health behaviour survey of school-aged children has revealed a worrying level of hard drinking and underage, unprotected sex among youngsters.

Young people's rating of their health varies widely between countries and regions. Among 15-year-olds, between eight and 32 per cent of boys and 13-63 per cent of girls report their health to be "fair" or "poor", and girls are more likely than boys to report poorer health in all countries and regions.

Levels of poorer health among 15-year-old girls are highest in Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and the Ukraine.

All three age groups show large cross-national differences in weekly smoking. Girls' weekly smoking is lowest (under 15 per cent) in Canada, Poland, Sweden and the US, the Baltic states and parts of southern Europe.

Weekly drinking is more widespread among boys than girls, except in a few countries where rates are very similar at 15.

In Denmark, Malta, the Netherlands and the UK, about half of 15-year-old boys drink weekly. The survey found that England and Wales ranked worst overall for alcohol abuse.

It is recommended that young people do an hour or more of at least moderate physical activity five or more days a week. But the survey shows that just half of young people do so in almost every country.

Fewer than two-fifths of young people eat fruit daily and only about a third eat vegetables each day.

It is a different story when it comes to sweets. Levels for 15-year-olds range from 40-50 per cent in Belgium, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Scotland and Macedonia to 20 per cent or under in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.

Regular tooth-brushing is not the norm in all countries.

Across the three age groups, just 12 per cent of Maltese 15-year-old boys brush their teeth regularly, while 91 per cent of Swiss 13-year-old girls brush regularly.

The highest levels of tooth-brushing are found in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Levels of bullying remain consistent across age groups in certain countries. For example, the Czech Republic, Ireland and Malta have consistently low levels while Austria and Lithuania have consistently high levels.

While most young people live with both parents, the extent of other family arrangements differs across countries, one-parent families and step-families being the most common. Countries in southern and eastern Europe, including Malta, have the highest percentage of children living with both parents.