A nationwide health study aimed at understanding the incidence of diabetes will be carried out over the next two years.

The study will draw links to people's lifestyle and genetics.

The first phase of the project - entitled Sahhtek: Health and Wellbeing - is set to start next month and last about two years.

A random representative sample of the people who live in Malta - consisting of 4,000 people - has been drawn. These people will undergo various medical tests to check for blood pressure, blood sugar level and cholesterol among other things, project coordinator Sarah Cuschieri explained.

They will also be asked about their lifestyle habits including food intake, tobacco and alcohol use and exercise patterns and tested for obesity. Finally a blood sample will be taken for genetics testing.

The next stage of the research, also estimated to take two years, will involve genetic testing. This will allow researchers to draw links between diabetes, lifestyle habits and obesity and will look for genetic markers for diabetes, hypertension and obesity, among other conditions.

Julian Mamo, the chairman of the project's steering committee, said that for the first time Malta would have a risk score for diabetes. This would have great beneficial repercussions in terms of prevention and policy making. Results will be communicated to all medical practitioners. The last frequency study of this magnitude was carried out in 1981.

The incidence of diabetes is on the increase worldwide with Type 2 diabetes, linked to obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, making up some 90 per cent of cases.

A 2010 European health survey showed that 58 per cent of Maltese adults are obese or overweight.

The project - estimated to cost some €300,000 - is mainly sponsored by the Alfred Mizzi Foundation, the University of Malta's Research and Innovation Development Trust and Atlas Insurance and is being carried out with the support of the Parliamentary Secretariat for Health.

www.sahhtek.com