Editorial

Obesity in Malta is once again receiving high profile attention. The gravity of the situation has been recognised for some time and recent WHO findings confirm the worst. Malta is now top of the league, shifting the notoriously obese Americans into second place.

Over a fourth of men and a fifth of women are obese and the increasing incidence shows no sign of relenting. The unfolding impact of this situation on the health of the people is incalculable and will weigh down already overstretched health services.

The government is acutely aware of the crisis and expresses determination to reverse this trend and cut down the obesity levels by 15 per cent in five years. With this aim in mind, the Director General for Health, Ray Busuttil, announced the setting up of an inter-sectoral committee involving various ministries and other organisations.

The Maltese simply have to make a radical change in their lifestyle. Lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet are problems that need to be addressed without delay.

Until not so long ago, one's daily activities demanded a degree of strenuous exercise. Today, even occupations that traditionally demanded intense physical activity are heavily mechanised. Most of one's working life, irrespective of one's job, is largely sedentary also thanks to labour-saving devices.

The Maltese are also heavily addicted to car use and, when commuting, walking and the use of public transport are largely avoided. The unbelievable dependence on car use, maybe partly due to an inconvenient and inadequate public transport, is now deeply ingrained in Maltese culture.

To compound matters, not enough people do sport, especially as they grow older. The facilities are few and the destructive town and country development over the past 40 odd years has relentlessly encroached on open spaces within and near towns and villages. Local councils are now trying to address this problem, albeit late in the day.

As if urban development is not enough, access to the countryside is at times restricted - and not always for legitimate reasons - with a government apparently reluctant to clearly indicate what is public land. The surrounding sea is, however, an unbeatable possibility for recreation and, yet, here again, some beaches or parts of them are taken over by private interests, not to mention pollution and overcrowding. Healthy and ecologically-sound water sports, such as rowing, windsurfing, canoeing and sailing, are only indulged in by a small minority.

Besides the marked reduction in physical activity, the Maltese have largely neglected their traditional Mediterranean diet and are now heavily dependent on processed foods rich in trans fats and sugars, exacerbated by the excessive consumption of soft drinks.

Preliminary results of the latest Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study reveal a sorry picture. In the past four years, consumption of fruit and vegetables by school children dropped by 12 and four per cent respectively. These worrying statistics should spur the authorities to clamp down on unhealthy eating in schools.

However, a more concerted effort is needed to address this market-driven culture of fast foods that has ruthlessly displaced the wholesome traditional diets of previous generations.

Obesity is not inevitable. As the government is now realising, much can and should be done to halt this alarming situation.