If you are a man older than 20 in Malta, you are very likely to be overweight or obese.

Almost three quarters of Maltese men over 20 are fat, according to a study in medical journal The Lancet.

Numbers are no less grim for women in this age bracket, with almost 60 per cent being overweight and obese.

The classification of Maltese men as the sixth fattest in the world did not come as a surprise, but for sociologist Gillian Martin the explanation goes beyond the mathematical calculation known as Body Mass Index, which combines weight and height, used by The Lancet to compare obesity levels.

Dr Martin’s 2010 research on obesity in Maltese children showed there was much more at the heart of the problem than exercise and diet.

“It is also essential to recognise the impact of lay beliefs of what is desirable both aesthetically and health-wise,” she said when contacted in the wake of the latest findings.

Her research showed there was a strong aesthetic preference for chubby babies and toddlers that was related to the physical joy of cuddling them.

Dr Martin, a lecturer at the University of Malta, said this was related to the fat baby being symbolic evidence of successful mothering.

“Mothers rarely worry if the baby is eating too much when the child is very young, but seek medical help if the child is not eating.”

However, she noted this attitude to chubbiness changed when the child reached school age and the ‘slim is beautiful’ aesthetic kicked in. Parents hen started to worry about overweight children being teased or bullied at school.

“The interesting thing to note is that the adults in the study were invariably aware of the potential problems, medical and social, related to being obese but this did not change their behaviour with regard to their child’s diet,” she said.