Malta has high rates of obesity and other chronic conditions that are believed to be partly related to a poor diet. A recent study was carried out to investigate whether this situation might be caused by a lack of nutrition knowledge among Maltese adults. This was the first study of its kind locally.

402 participants completed a short questionnaire of 16 questions based on current nutritional guidelines. 39% of participants were not aware of the five-a-day fruit and vegetable recommendation and knowledge about fibre was low. While most people were well-informed about fat, much lower scores were obtained in questions about cholesterol, with only 37% being aware that cholesterol is found only in animal products. Most people (79%) also failed to realise that butter and regular margarine contain the same amount of calories. Knowledge regarding salt in foods was poor, with only 40%, 65% and 67% knowing that bread, cheese and baked beans respectively, are high in salt.

Overall, females scored better than males; those (both males and females) 35 years and older scored better than younger participants; and higher education was associated with higher scores. There was no significant difference in nutrition knowledge among the different districts of Malta. It was also found that those people stating that they had a healthy diet had better nutrition knowledge than others reporting it as unhealthy, thus strengthening the idea that knowledge is associated with dietary habits.

These results indicate that lack of knowledge may be at least partly to blame for the rising health problems in Malta and it is recommended that future educational campaigns address this issue. It was also found that males and youths consistently scored worse than females and older adults respectively, and hence health campaigns need to be planned in a way to target these groups effectively.

This study was carried out in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science (Human Nutrition) at the University of Glasgow and was partially funded by the Strategic Educational Pathways Scholarship Scheme (Malta). The scholarship is part-financed by the European Union – European Social Fund.

■ Manuel Attard, M.Sc

Nutritionist & Biochemist