Malta has an overweight problem surpassing that of the USA where children and young adults are concerned, according to a recent European study on obesity among children and young adults.

Achieving higher standards of nutrition and physical activity to improve the well being and to protect the health of Maltese citizens, young and old, must be a major public health priority. It is my opinion that the health authorities and the education authorities should introduce more physical activities in the school curriculum and to encourage more participation in sports. The rising levels of overweight and obesity in both adults and children provide a barometer reading, which signals the need to act immediately by adopting wide ranging and effective strategies to reverse this trend in order to prevent chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

We all know that children and young adults love junk food, therefore both departments should target these young people by educating them on what food to eat, and make sure that all school canteens only offer healthy food. It is imperative that this rapidly growing problem be tackled now rather then wait for serious problems to occur later. The concern is not only that young people, who are already overweight and obese, are destined to remain so throughout their adult lives with heightened risks to their health, but that youngsters are already developing “diseases of old age” . Surveys show overweight and obesity levels among children in southern Europe to be higher than their north European counterparts as the traditional Mediterranean diet gives way to more processed foods rich in fat, sugar and salt.

Mark Causon

PEMBROKE