A survey carried out by the National Statistics Office has found that 38 percent of Maltese residents - particularly women, rate reading as their main hobby.

Twenty-six percent said travel was their principal leisure activity while home decoration proved a favourite pastime for over one-fifth of the population, followed by 21 percent who mentioned Internet browsing.

Restaurants were found to be the most frequented places by 79 percent of adults, followed by cinemas, live sport events, bars and wine bars, clubs and dance-clubs.

The survey results indicated that nearly 62 percent rated their physical health as good.

It emerged that 84 percent visited a GP in the year before the survey, while half the adult population visited a dentist. Nearly 10 per cent reported that they did not visite a GP or dentist.

Weight and height

The survey found that, on average, a Maltese adult weighs 72.5 kg.

This varies from 65.9 kg for women to 79.4kg for men. Some three percent of the adult population is underweight, whereas 62 percent are either overweight or obese.

It was estimated that the average height of the Maltese population is 165.3 cm. On a gender level, the average height in respect of women is 159.7 cm compared to the average man’s 171.2 cm.