Today’s issue is big, really big. It’s big in every sense of the word, not just because its implications reverberate both within and beyond our shores, but also because it deals with large proportions. Our own proportions to be precise.

We’ve climbed to the top of one of the few ranking systems we seem to be able to consistently retain any sort of international dominance in.

And we didn’t just win, we blew the competition away by a statistically significant margin – we are the most obese nation in the European Union, outweighing second-placed Latvia by almost five per cent.

Considering that the UK, a nation that has already made significant financial investment in its attempts to stem the obesity problem, is four places better off than us, we really have to ask whether we are taking this seriously enough.

Physically activity is known to improve productivity and psychological well-being, while inactivity has been proven to be a major factor in influencing ill health and causing premature death. Is this what we really want for Maltese society? The combination of obesity and inactivity are classed as an epidemic internationally, but apparently not here.

“Fattest” is a blow I can just about take on the chin, but “laziest”? Frankly I find that downright offensive, but where is the national backlash? If the majority of us actually agree we really are just “fat and lazy”, then perhaps the problem has deeper roots. Maybe it’s cultural, like the sort of culture that causes us to feed our children an abundance of sweets and junk food upon request, because we ‘love’ them. Knowingly inflicting long-term physical harm to a child’s health doesn’t sound much like love to me – in fact it sounds a lot more like child abuse.

Why are we so protective of our children in so many other areas, only to proceed so thoroughly and systematically to establish the quickest and most efficient routes for them towards the development of obesity and inactivity-related diseases?

We could be out there walking, jogging, cycling, trekking, swimming...

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Maltese parent perfectly satisfied with second best for their children, or paradoxically, stand by while others call them fat and lazy for that matter. It’s all a little confusing, but by no means a mystery that cannot be solved with some careful consideration.

We enjoy a perfectly good standard of living, benefit from a public education system that is well-organised, accessible and inclusive, and are as media-savvy as any other civilised nation. Ignorance simply cannot be the cause.

Yet while we do indeed know the score, we still refuse to do anything about it. There is no politically correct or diplomatic answer here. It’s time to wake up, stop laughing or shrugging it off, and act. That means no more half-hearted, under-funded and under-staffed initiatives or action groups that are doomed to fail like boxers sent into the ring with both hands tied behind their backs.

Just ask any local sport or physical activity professional how many times they felt sabotaged by a lack of support, or stifled by bureaucracy and institutional inefficiency. Locally we have many such professionals, qualified from diploma to doctoral level in all areas related to the physiological, psychological, sociological and educational aspects of nutrition, healthy living, fitness, exercise science, sport and physical activity. Among them are some of the most dedicated and capable people.

These are the soldiers who can win us the war, but alas they sit on the sidelines, idly polishing their weapons and checking their kit, prepared for orders that never come.

Some are forced to sell their services like mercenaries to the highest private bidders, pulling different ropes in different directions in disorganised and unregulated industries, making no headway towards any sort of unified national vision.

Worse still, others are forced to relocate to countries offering good work opportunities, despite their expertise being far more needed right here at home.

Despite being a small country, we have some of the most beautiful natural outdoor gyms. We boast dramatic rock-faces and clear waters. Our glorious climate gives us a playground which is available almost all year round, if only we were inclined to do so. We could be out there walking, jogging, cycling, trekking, swimming, kayaking, diving and snorkelling but instead we seem to be content with spending hours on end sitting in our cars in heavy traffic, bringing the country to its knees every day at rush hour.

We need to find out why. We need to ask the right questions and call on our local experts to help devise tailor-made solutions to a unique problem, without attempting to import readymade systems that may have worked elsewhere, and are backed by foreign experts who we assume simply must know better.

We need a national task force, because this sort of research and development is only possible with total support. In a recent interview, one of our national heroes and sporting ambassadors, captain of the national football team Andre Schembri, courageously dared to publicly question the system. Perhaps more of us should start questioning the system, critically and constructively, with a view to finally building a culture for physical activity, and thus inspire real change in the overall holistic health and fitness of Malta and Gozo.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.