It is a problem that we have known about for years, but in spite of efforts and campaigns it does not seem to be getting any better. If anything, things seem to be getting worse.
Figures released last week by Health Minister Louis Deguara point to a staggering 68 per cent of Maltese adults and 35 per cent of children who are overweight. Perhaps worse, more than one-fourth of Maltese men and more than one-fifth of Maltese women in the 20-64 age bracket are obese.
A survey carried out in schools last year revealed a negative trend with regard to healthy eating and physical activity among adolescents (aged between 11 and 15) when compared to a similar survey held in 2002, indicating that the problem of obesity will increase in the future unless the problem is dealt with now.
These statistics were released on a day when the national anti-obesity campaign was launched. A committee made up of representatives from government ministries, authorities, associations and NGOs will be working to “reduce the prevalence of obesity in accordance with the objectives of the World Health Organisation”, according to health director general Dr Ray Busuttil.
There is a difference between being obese and being overweight.
Being overweight is not the perfect way of staying healthy, and although it is less of a problem than obesity, overweight people should be careful, as unhealthy eating and lack of exercise will quickly push them down the road towards obesity.
Obesity is, on the other hand, the most serious form of excess weight and should be considered as a condition that negatively affects one’s health. The main problems associated with obesity are heart disease, type 2 diabetes, back problems and certain cancers.
In the European Union, obesity accounts for up to seven per cent of the total costs in the health care sector, and this rate is expected to increase, considering that the problem with obesity is growing.
The Health Promotion Department’s campaign is aimed at both adults and children. While adults will be urged to check their Body Mass Index (BMI) regularly and take any remedial action necessary, children will be encouraged to have some form of physical exercise on a daily basis.
It is apparent that the department is mostly focusing on two issues – the need to eat healthy foods and the need to exercise. These are two facets of the same coin, and they are both required for one to live as healthily as possible.
Today, the combination of these two ways of life has become increasingly more difficult, mostly because there is so little time left to prepare healthy meals and/or go for a short walk. People therefore end up in front of the TV after a full day’s work, too tired to exercise and too tired to cook properly.
What is perhaps worse is that we are leading our children into the same trap. Parents have little time to prepare healthy lunches, and end up sending their children to school with snack packets and sugary drinks, or giving them the money to buy similar items from the school tuck-shop. When they come home, their main meal is often one that comes out of the freezer.
People need to stop and think. There are many healthy meals that can be prepared in a short time, and if people have 30 minutes of free time it would be better to take a short walk rather than spend it in front of the TV or computer. They may think that they are too tired to go out again, but they will soon realise that they will feel much, much better after the walk than they would if they stayed at home.
A walk, or any kind of physical exercise, is not only helpful in terms of physical fitness but it also helps us relax, reducing the levels of stress that we have to live with today.