A nationwide initiative to encourage more people to go for a walk or jog could help clock up funds for community projects tackling mental health. 

The Smiles with Miles initiative, unveiled by Lydia Abela on Saturday, will allow people to track their physical exercise while also contributing to a nationwide counter that will pump private funding to community initiatives. 

The idea is a simple one: a free Smiles with Miles smartphone app will track users’ physical activity and make them eligible for prizes upon achieving certain milestones. 

The app will also measure the cumulative distance walked or jogged by all its users: once 250,000 miles have been clocked nationwide, a number of private companies will donate an undisclosed amount to help fund projects focused on mental health. 

Android phone users can download the Smiles for Miles app immediately. iPhone users will be able to do so in a few days' time, once the application has been approved and is added to the App Store. 

Malta has the EU's highest rate of obesity for both adults and children, with more than 350 deaths attributed to it in 2019 alone. A European-wide study found that around two in five adults spend less than 150 minutes exercising every week. 

Lydia Abela announces the initiative, flanked by (left) Mark Cutajar and (right) Anton Grech. Photo: DOI/Clifton Fenech

Abela, who is the wife of Prime Minister Robert Abela, said funding from the project would help promote awareness campaigns about mental health services available for young people, as well as bankroll research into mental health challenges local young people are facing. 

“This should be a national effort. Your walking can pay you as well as others,” she said. 

Psychiatrist Anton Grech praised the initiative and noted that physical exercise had an important positive effect on mental health and was a proven form of therapy for those suffering from anxiety. A strong mind required a strong body, he added. 

SportMalta CEO Mark Cutajar said that Malta’s weather allowed people to exercise all year around and that the country had several walking paths which people could make use of.