Research programme to tackle obesity launched

The government has launched a research programme aimed at tackling obesity.  

The programme is being led by Xjenza Malta in collaboration with the Ministry for Health. €300,000 will be made available for three projects. The call for proposals is open for six weeks and closes on July 7. 

An information session on the programme will be held on June 2. 

Speaking at the launch on Monday in Kalkara, the chairman of Xjenza Malta’s consultative committee Tonio Portughese said the programme aimed to support efforts to investigate the impact of Malta's environment on obesity incidence.

It will primarily focus on the labelling of food, food supply and food promotion. 

“We want to bridge the gap between research and policy to help the relevant authorities to be in a position to make better decisions in this sector,” he said, adding that the initiative was part of a series of activities that Xjenza Malta is working on as part of the National Research and Innovation Strategic Plan that runs from 2023 to 2027. 

He encouraged researchers to take advantage of the available funds. 

Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci said that very little progress had so far been made when it came to tackling obesity rates in Malta. 

Explaining the impact that each area of research had on obesity, Gauci said that food labelling was important because it empowered people to make better choices when it came to the nutritional value and ingredients of different foods. 

“You are also most likely to eat the food in your immediate environment, so it is important to have standards that the industry needs to meet,” she said, highlighting the example of school tuck shops. 

“We had a problem with a local dairy producer because the level of sugar in their yoghurts exceeded WHO recommendations, so we worked with the company to reduce sugar levels,” she said. 

She noted that people are constantly being bombarded with adverts for unhealthy food. 

“Those who have children understand this better than anyone,” she said. 

Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela said the issue of obesity was one the government was taking very seriously. 

“Obesity impacts people of all ages, and affects every vital organ of the body. It is associated with many illnesses, including high blood pressure and blood sugar, arthritis, and various types of cancer in both men and women,” he said. 

“To attack this problem we need a whole-of-government approach. If we continue to tackle it in the same way we have been doing up until now, the result will be a foregone conclusion. We have to be innovative,” he added. 

The minister noted that many of the people who resort to surgery to treat their obesity have unsuccessfully tried several programmes to manage their weight. 

“We must take this as a warning sign that many projects aren’t effective. I don’t say this to discourage researchers, but we need to be clear that since this is a complicated issue, we have to tackle it from many angles,” he said, adding that he hoped the research done under the programme would lead to further research. 

Keith Azzopardi Tanti, the parliamentary secretary for youth, research and innovation, said the initiative differed from other research programmes, which tended to be geared more towards digitisation, industry and resource management. 

“But we’re also interested in the wellbeing of the population and whether they’re happy, and above all, healthy,” he said. 

“I don’t doubt the programme will be a success and I look forward to seeing what proposals are put forward.”