Obesity still big problem despite slim improvement

Malta still has a major problem of obesity although the preliminary analysis of a nationwide survey show a slim improvement.

Although no figures are yet available, initial analysis of the Health Interview Survey carried out last year suggest a slight shift towards a lower body mass index and slight decreases in the overall prevalence of obesity in both males and females.

However, health information and research director Neville Calleja stressed that obesity remained a major problem in Malta and the shift was a minor one.

When the same survey was carried out in 2002 it had shown that almost a quarter of the population was obese. The shocking figures had revealed that 25 per cent of men and 21.2 per cent of women had a BMI of over 30.

Although the biggest problem was among the 45- to 54-year-olds, obesity was shown not to be just a malady of middle-aged people. In fact, more than 11 per cent of 15- to 24-year-olds were obese.

Moreover, Malta has long topped the charts of childhood obesity, something that worried experts. Maltese schoolchildren are not only the most overweight and obese in Europe but are also in denial about their chubbiness.

This was very worrying since evidence showed that overweight children went on to become overweight adults, public health expert Gauden Galea said.

Moreover, adopting small changes in lifestyle could go a long way in addressing the obesity pandemic. Dr Galea, a regional advisor on non-communicable diseases for the World Health Organisation and a member of the Malta Association of Public Health Medicine, pointed out that 30 minutes of exercise a day would already make a difference.

"If you take the bus and walk to and from the bus stop, maybe go for a walk during your break and perhaps take the stairs, you are already doing some exercise," he said, adding that 30 minutes of exercise a day was the bare minimum that anyone should do.

And although it did not necessarily need to be in one stretch, each bout of exercise had to be at least 10 minutes long, he said.

"Physical activity should be opportunistic rather than regimented, like going to a gym. The greatest health benefit will be seen by those who are predominantly sedentary and who start doing a little bit of walking every day. They will immediately start to witness health benefits," he said.

Obesity, Dr Galea said, was a worldwide pandemic and was seen as much in Asia as in America. "This is by far not a problem that is limited to the developed world. China, for example, has a high level of type 2 diabetes, which is closely connected with being overweight and obese." Moreover, he continued, a recent study in Cambodia, one of the least developed countries, showed very high levels of diabetes and pre-diabetes even in rural areas.

"Being overweight is a good predictor of other non-communicable diseases," he added.