Probably not. The current UK guidelines are 150 minutes of moderate activity* or 75 minutes of vigorous activity* per week alongside strength exercises* on at least two days a week. The Maltese guidelines are based on those determined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), therefore, for children between the ages of 5-17 they recommend at least 60 minutes daily of moderate-vigorous physical activity. For adults the guidelines are the same as those in the UK.
*Unsure what is meant by these terms? Visit http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults.aspx to find out more.
Are these guidelines being followed?
A recent study on the levels of physical activity globally concluded that 72% of the Maltese population do not carry out any physical activity making them the laziest human beings in the world. Physical inactivity is common throughout various stages of the lifecycle, particularly amongst Maltese children as it was found that they are the least physically active children in the European Union and also spend the longest time watching television. Similarly, only 10% of UK adults play sport regularly, 13% are sedentary for more than 8.5 hours every day and 44% never do any moderate physical activity (BHF 2015). In both boys and girls in England the proportion of children aged 5 to 15 years meeting recommendations fell between 2008 and 2012.
Malta has the second highest obesity rate in Europe with 22.3% being obese and 10% of the population suffering from diabetes. In the UK, 24.9% of adults are obese (NHS 2015) and 1 in 17 have diabetes. Physical inactivity is one of the main causes of disability and disease in the UK and is responsible for 17% of all UK deaths (PHE 2014).
A detailed study was carried out by a Maltese doctor, Dr. Debono who noted the effect of the surrounding environment in relation to the high rates of obesity, diabetes, dimentia and heart disease. Dr. Debono stated that if the Maltese citizens were to lead a more active lifestyle both physically and mentally, the development of these health issues and complications in these health issues could be significantly reduced. The Maltese general public have adopted a lifestyle similar to that in the UK since we have been so highly influenced by the UK throughout history. The Maltese have become more dependant on private cars rather than choosing alternate methods of transport which involve being physically active such as walking or cycling while also not being aware of the foods they have been consuming. In the UK, the number of households without a car has decreased from 69% in 1961 to 25% in 2012 and only 3% of all miles travelled per person per year were through walking, an average of 181 miles. (BHF 2015). Not having enough time, being too tired and bad weather are some of the most common reasons the UK population provide for not exercising (NHS 2014).
The use of bikes as an alternative method of transport is quite dangerous in Malta as roads
are not safe for cyclists as they lack appropriate bike lanes and traffic lights. In fact, Malta was ranked as the worst and most dangerous country for cycling in the EU (Today Public Policy Institute, December 2015). Apart from this, Maltese drivers are not the most generous when it comes to sharing the road with cyclists. Cycling to work or school can be seen as an inconvenience due to the hot weather year round the Maltese Islands are blessed with which can result in some rather unpleasantly smelling coworkers and students unless adequate shower facilities are provided at workplaces or educational institutions. There is always the option to walk, however again this may be looked at as being inconvenient due to the slower rate at which one would arrive at their destination, however it is also important to consider the amount of time spent looking for parking when travelling by car. Therefore, activity levels in Malta are still very low despite the warmer and sunnier climate and so it seems that the weather is a poor excuse for people not to exercise.
Throughout the UK, physical activity levels vary widely and one remarkable difference is that those living in prosperous areas are twice as likely to be physically active than those living in deprived areas (PHE 2014). The government is trying to allow everybody in the UK to have access to open space to encourage and empower the population to get outdoors and get active. One study conducted in one city in England showed that individuals living close to a park are less likely to be inactive or obese (Coombes, Jones and Hillsdon 2010).
Being a small island, there are very few large spaces where individuals in Malta can go for recreational activities such as going for a jog since most of the island is urbanised and would require driving to a more rural area in which to jog. With all this in mind, Malta and the Maltese islands are surrounded by sea and so swimming especially in the summer months should be more popular than it is, especially because whilst swimming one is able to enjoy the beautiful bays and beaches the islands have to offer.
PHE are trying to make physical activity the social norm for the UK population. In 2014, the ‘Change for Life’ campaign launched the ’10 minute shake up’ initiative which involved using Disney characters to try to get young children and their families to increase their activity levels.
The ‘Couch to 5k’ is a weekly running programme designed to slowly increase activity levels from running 60 seconds a day in week 1 to 30 minutes at week 9.
The government have launched the campaign and have advertised it around the country and provided lots of resources and tips online and in app format. For more information, please follow the link below: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx
In Malta, the ministry of education has adopted a whole school approach to a healthy lifestyle through a policy issued in 2015 which maims to make healthy eating and physical activity a priority through holistic education.It is mandatory in Maltese schools to provide 90 minutes of physical education per week in primary and secondary schools. The government also provides a grant to residents who buy a bicycle to further encourage the use of alternate methods of transport amongst adults within the population.
Exercise has been shown to help weight loss, lower LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels, increase HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels and improve mental well being and therefore increasing the activity levels within both populations will help improve the health of the population by lowering the levels of obesity and obesity- related conditions.
References:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953609008156 (Coombes, Jones and Hillsdon 2010).
“Cycle for you life”, 10th October 2010, Elizabeth Ayling, http://www.maltainsideout.com/13509/cycle-for-your-life-2/
"Global recommendations on physical activity for health", WHO, - http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_recommendations/en/
“Report - The Environmental Dimension of Malta's ill-Health and action to prevent Obesity, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Dimentia”, 16th December 2015 http://www.tppi.org.mt/index.php/reports/659-report-maltas-ill-health
“Survey: 72% of Maltese don’t exercise-world’s laziest people”, 16th December 2015 http://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/survey-72-of-maltese-dont-exercise-worlds-laziest-people/
Interesting read! It is a shame to see that there are many barriers stopping people being more active such as the lack of bike friendly roads. Also interesting to hear how the climate in both countries (be in very different) can have similar effects on doing outdoor activities.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTasz:
ReplyDeleteI like your intro. I like how the most important message is at the beginning.
I think a good point has been raised about the UK’s influence on other countries. I think the same can be for other heavily westernised countries, in that we have perhaps as a nation and as a culture have actually had a truly devastating impact on other countries population health.
I think that mandatory physical activity in schools is great when done right because it instils great habits for adulthood and could have and impact in reducing childhood and future adult obesity.
Sophie:
The fact that Maltese children are the least physically active in Europe was a very important point that was made since Malta’s current environment is not one which encourages physical activity. On the plus side, the fact that schools are being targeted so as to provide 90 minutes of physical activity per week which is a very good initiative.
It was very interesting to note that in England, the physical activity rates are very low, similar to Malta. As mentioned in the article, the many similarities between the two countries, such as rates of physical activity and obesity, may be due to the fact that the UK influenced Malta in various ways during the past years and several parts of our cultures are similar. It also seems that motivation and willpower are lacking in both populations, since both in Malta with its sunnier climate and in the UK, with much better roads for cycling than Malta, people still chose to drive to their destination. In Malta, the car culture has been present for many generations, and is on the increase with 579 passenger cars for every 1000 Maltese people in 2010, and an average of 28 cars a day registered between June 2013 and June 2014. I believe that if one was motivated enough to do physical activity, he or she would find the space to practice any type of physical activity. In Malta, there are various outdoor gyms, subsidies with regards to fitness classes (even for children) and also places where one can go for a walk, hike, run or practice any sport. As Michaela mentioned, the sea is one of our greatest resources and going for a walk or a jog along the promenade or a swim in Summer is free and therefore accessible by all socioeconomic classes. Governments in both countries seem to be working towards a more active population, but it takes a long time to change habits. With perseverance, a change in mentality can be achieved, after the knowledge and obesogenic environment barriers have been overcome.
ReplyDelete