SURVEY: How Much Physical Activity Do People In Malta Actually Participate In?
Let’s face it, us Maltese have been known to shy away from excessive exercise in any way we can. We drive everywhere, even if it’s a five-minute walk away, we’re constantly glued to our mobile phones, and our favourite social activity is eating.
And that’s because we’re quite typically Mediterranean. We love to indulge, have long lunches in the sun, and do what we can to spend as much time as possible with those we love. And if that means saving time by driving ridiculously small distances, then so be it.
But it is time to face the truth, all we need from you is your complete honesty.
Grant Thornton has issued a Physical Activity Survey to get a accurate look at just how much physical activity we actually get done in Malta; and who knows, the results may be surprising.
We think this is super important because, to this day, local statistics are either outdated or not adequately representative of the Maltese population.
As it stands, Malta can be found on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of health-enhancing physical activity when compared to other countries such as Finland and Iceland who reign supreme, according to European studies and figures.
The shocking part is, Malta isn’t that bad in terms of exercise opportunities, we’ve got sun, the sea, stunning scenery perfect for jogging through, and many gyms dotted around the place, including a couple of outdoor ones.
All of these seem to suggest that us Maltese would be quite active, however, according to the 2018 WHO European Health Report (using data from 2016), Malta had one of the worst obesity rates, sitting at a staggering 28.9%.
For the less mathematical ones of us, that means that every one in three Maltese people are clinically obese!
Take the Physical Activity Survey to help us gain some insight into the real-life habits of our population. No stereotypes or biases, just cold hard facts.
Don’t worry. All the information collected will only be used for research purposes and will be kept entirely confidential.