Fat is a valuable and necessary part of our body’s make-up but excess fat is potentially harmful. It affects a person’s quality of life and leads to health complications. Unfortunately, the extremely high number of overweight or obese people is increasing everywhere and is causing headaches in different administrative sectors such as health and the treasury.
Malta is not an exception
According to a recent study, 36.5 per cent of our population is overweight and 22.3 per cent is obese! One only has to walk down a busy street to notice that there are many people who obviously need help. There are no easy answers to fight the world epidemic, although improved eating habits with the introduction of half portions, lots of fruit and vegetables and doing away with sweetened liquids would certainly help counteract the alarming condition. Education is always necessary: people must learn the meaning of a stable diet and which type of food they should avoid.
Weight management is conditioned primarily by energy balance; energy input which is food that is taken in versus energy expenditure via physical activity.
Our mission
Our mission is to create a sports culture which, in brief, centres on participation in sport and physical activities for the benefit of one and all. This ambition can be realised by strengthening the Malta Sports Council (KMS) and its activities; presenting programmes to include all sectors of society; investing in sports facilities and helping sports entities in various ways while emphasising ethical and professional practises.
Once realised, these principles will help produce a healthier nation, both physically and mentally. Through well-planned programmes we will also be reaching other targets, one of which is to present effective ways of fighting the ever-increasing problems of excess weight and obesity. There is nothing more effective than regular exercise.
Regular physical training is fundamental. With this aim in mind, the KMS is continually launching programmes that cater for all sectors of the community, with the aim of increasing participation.
Popular programmes
Through the KMS we have introduced new sports programmes in our schools and through the efforts of a new unit – the Sports Promotion Unit – we have attracted the active involvement of more than 9,000 students. The success registered during the first year has encouraged us to present a more varied programme for a wider school population and we are focusing on five colleges that cater for more than 16,600 students.
There are a number of after-school sports programmes in different schools and colleges: ‘Girls on the move’, which is meant to encourage girls to participate in a variety of sports and physical activities in a safe and supportive environment; ‘Sportsbuzz’, which is directed mainly at residents of the Cottonera area; a more direct programme for workers and employees, appropriately named ‘Sports for all at the place of work’, with the KMS promoting and assisting in the organisation of activities and ‘Skolasport’, which caters for an impressive number of children.
We believe that local councils also have an important role in the promotion of physical activities and it is precisely for this reason that we have embarked on a project that features a ‘Sport for all’ programme that the government is funding to the tune of e120,000. A total of 24 councils are actually involved and by the end of the year a total of 84 different activities will have been staged and some 4,500 people of all ages will have taken part. The success of the programme has encouraged us to vote a similar amount of money for 2010 and 28 councils have applied for the second series, which will include 87 activities.
There are other programmes for adults, such as ‘Adults on the move’, which is a keep-fit programme staged in different centres. Reference should also be made to the envisaged outdoor and adventure activities. Special programmes are held for the elderly and those with disabilities and a number of activities are held in Gozo, while there are particular programmes for the summer season.
One cannot ignore the many activities in both private and church schools, or the different nurseries that have mushroomed around the island, or the various fitness centres found in our sports complexes which, although costly to maintain, are vitally necessary in attracting more youngsters to take part in physical training and sport.
Preventive measures
People must exercise. Walking, jogging and running or playing are all good for you. Those who are suffering from excess fat will be helped to rid themselves of it through exercise which, after all, is fun – especially when one starts ‘melting away’. Professional advice is always essential.
The fight against obesity and excess weight may be won if effective prevention measures are emphasised and practised.
We must endeavour to get everyone involved; after all, physical exercise should be regarded as a way of life.
Clyde Puli is Parliamentary Secretary
for Youth and Sport