Fat nation
They say that politicians and contractors are the fat cats, but when it comes to the literal definition of fat, one in four of us are deserving of that title.
Data published by the National Statistics Office on Wednesday does not paint a rosy picture – 25% of Maltese are obese, and we are a full ten points ‘ahead’ of the European Union average. The EU average, in fact, stands at 14.9%.
36.3% of us are pre-obese, although this is exactly the same as the EU average, but only a third of Maltese have a ‘normal’ weight, when the EU average stands at 45%.
Men are fatter than women, with 27% of Maltese men being overweight and 40% being preobese. The figures for women are 23% and 31% respectively.
Over 37% of Maltese in employment spend much of their workday sitting down, and people with a tertiary level of education are less likely to be overweight, the statistics show.
Efforts by the health authorities to bring these numbers down do not seem to have had the desired effect and our population remains substantially fatter than most of our European counterparts.
There may be various reasons for this, but the main culprits are likely poor diets and a culture and mentality that do not see the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Our increasing reliance on cars is a clear indicator that many of us are reluctant to change our ways. Those of us who frequently travel to European cities, like Brussels, are all too familiar with scenes of suited men and women cycling to work in the morning. To many of us, such a thing would be unthinkable.
To be fair, our infrastructure and driving habits are not exactly bicycle friendly, and neither are our hot summer months. But the fact remains that many people will use their car to go to the grocer’s, just a couple of blocks away.
While the mentality about our wellbeing has definitely changed – where many more people go to the gym nowadays, and participation in marathons and other sporting activities has increased – it is clear that we are still lagging behind when compared to our European brethren.
Another problem that we have, and over which we have no control, is the lack of space and places to walk, run and cycle. But let’s be honest, how much do we walk when we go abroad? How many of us rely solely on buses, the metro or trams to get around in cities where walking would be a much more pleasurable experience, and more beneficial to our health?
It is clear that our eating habits need to change too. The presence of a pastizzeria on every street corner does not mean that we should be eating these carbohydrate and fat-filled snacks every day. It is up to us to opt for a healthier menu. Yes, it might take more time and be a bit more expensive to prepare something healthy, but it will make a big difference in the long-run.
Obesity in Malta is linked to all forms of diseases and is known to lessen our quality of life and life expectancy. It is up to each and every one of us to make that extra effort to ensure that we do not only look good, but feel good too.