A strategy aimed at reversing the growing trend of obesity was launched by Health Minister Joe Cassar this morning.

"A healthy weight for life strategy" aims to reduce the self-reported overweight adult population from 36 to 33 per cent, the self-reported obese population from 22 to 18 per cent, the measured seven-year-old overweight children from 32 to 27 per cent and to maintain the proportion of obese 13-year-olds to below 15 per cent.

Public Health Superintendent Ray Busuttil noted that Malta enjoyed two gold medals for the proportion of obese and overweight 15-year-olds, a silver medal for 13 and 11 year olds and a bronze medal for adult females.

The aim of the strategy is to reverse this growing proportion of obese, overweight children and adults to reduce the health, social and economic consequences.

The economic impact of obesity is €19.5 million a year for the state sector, a figure that will go up to €27 million in 2020 unless the problem is reversed.

The authorities have been working on the strategy, which should lead the country to 2020, since 2007. The inter-sectoral committee to counteract obesity, which included the participation of seven ministries, was involved and the strategy has been approved by cabinet.

The 2020 targets for nutrition are to reduce the frequency of intake of processed meat by five per cent, reduce the percentage of the population who never consume fish by 20 per cent, reduce the consumption of sweets and sugared soft drinks by 10 per cent, reduce salt consumption by 10 per cent and reduce the daily fat intake by 10 per cent.

Other aims were to increase the daily consumption of vegetables by 25 per cent in the younger age groups, focus heavily on the importance of breast feeding and involve a review of the breastfeeding policy for Malta.

The strategy also aims to increase the proportion of Maltese who carry out moderate of high level physical activity daily from 43.5 to 70 per cent and reduce the portion of children and adolescents who never exercise by five per cent.

Health Care Services needed to be reoriented from curative to health promotion, enhancing access to a personalised service for overweight and obese people of all ages.

At community level, the strategy proposes overweight and obesity clinics for adults and children.

It will be implemented on three-year rolling action plans with an implementation group ensuring that targets are achieved within the allocated time frame and budgets. The targets will be monitored in 2015, 2018 and 2020.