Recent studies show that 68 per cent of Maltese adults and 35 per cent of children are overweight and these figures are indicative of the seriousness of the problem across the whole population, Health, the Elderly and Community Care Minister Louis Deguara said yesterday.

Minister Deguara described obesity as an epidemic that was affecting the whole world. It was nowadays being referred to as a sickness for which there was not yet any form of cure and which could trigger off diabetes and heart disease in particular, he said.

Speaking at a media conference regarding the Health Promotion Department’s national anti-obesity campaign, Dr Deguara said the ministry has been working to set up an inter-sectoral committee, which was expected to deal with the problem of obesity among the Maltese.

The director general of health, Ray Busuttil said the inter-sectoral committee would be made up of representatives from nine entities.

These were the Environment and Rural Affairs Ministry, the Education, Youth and Employment Ministry, the Urban Development and Roads Ministry, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the Malta Transport Authority (ADT), the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Broadcasting Authority and the Malta Diabetes Association.

Dr Busuttil said the committee’s ultimate aim would be to reduce the prevalence of obesity in accordance with the objectives of the World Health Organisation (WHO). He said the idea to have a number of representatives from different entities coming together was aimed at tackling the concept from as many different angles as possible.

The campaign launched by the Health Promotion Department yesterday, under the slogan Hfief u b’Sahhitna tul Hajjitna, is aimed at further strengthening key initiatives and programmes conducted over the past years in areas of healthy eating and physical activity.

The campaign is also intended to highlight the importance of a healthy body mass index (BMI) throughout adult life.

According to a recent report issued by WHO, the prevalence rates in Maltese men and women aged 20-64 years, taken from self-reported data, are: 41.6 per cent of men and 29 per cent of women are pre-obese/overweight, while 26.6 per cent of men and 20.4 per cent of women are obese.

Results of obesity rates in Maltese children also indicate the existence of a serious problem, although reliable national data of prevalence rates based on anthropometric measurements does not yet exist.

Dr Busuttil said the Health Department had started conducting such a study among five-year-olds and the plan for the near future was to continue studying the situation among other school children.

Dr Deguara referred to the “negative record with regard to overweight and obese people across the whole Maltese population.”

Health Promotion Department director Mario Spiteri said that a Health Behaviour Survey in School-aged Children (HBSC) conducted last year showed a negative trend with regard to healthy eating and physical activity among adolescents (aged between 11 and 15 years).

“The results of the survey when compared to those of another survey conducted in 2002, indicate that the problem of obesity will increase in the future unless we deal with the problem now,” said Dr Spiteri.

Obesity is the most serious form of excess weight and it should not only be viewed as a cosmetic problem, but as a serious disease which negatively affected one’s health. Main problems associated with obesity were heart disease, type 2 diabetes, back problems and certain cancers.

It was estimated that in the EU, obesity accounted for up to seven per cent of costs in the health care sector and this rate was expected to increase due to rising obesity trends.

The Health Promotion Department’s campaign was focused on three main messages: the importance of daily physical activity among children, adults are encouraged to check their BMI regularly and take necessary action and the importance of the Weight Reduction Programme for people with a BMI that is greater than 30.

If one’s BMI is not within the normal limits, individuals are advised to consult with a guide that has been purposely designed as part of the campaign.

Those with a BMI greater than 30 can enrol for participation in the department’s Weight Reduction Programme, which is offered free of charge in every health centre. This initiative was launched in 1995 and is intended to support obese adults who wish to lose weight in an appropriate manner.

The average number of participants for these programmes on an annual basis between 2000 and 2006 was 394 and the average amount of weight lost over an eight-week period was 3.5 kilograms.

The Health Promotion Department’s messages will feature in an extensive radio campaign which will run for 15 weeks and three posters will also be put up at key locations, including the Eden Century Cinemas.

Copies of the leaflet on BMI, “Is your weight telling you something?”, are available from the department’s offices in Msida and from every health centre. People wishing to join the Weight Reduction Programme may call on tel.: 2326-6000 for further information.