Is physical inactivity related to body mass index and waist circumference in a sample of Maltese adult population?

Abstract

Physical inactivity and excess weight are two major public health problems (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2000, 2006). In 2008, the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated to be more than 1.4 billion adults (over 20 years), of these over 200 million men and almost 300 million women were obese (WHO, 2008). Furthermore, WHO (2013) estimated that in 2008, globally, 31% of adults aged 15 and over were insufficiently active (28% men and 34% women). This unhealthy behaviour was estimated to cause 600,000 deaths annually and lead to a loss of 5.3 million years of healthy life due to premature death and disability (WHO, 2002). If physical inactivity were to be reduced by 10‐25%, more than 1.3 million lives could be saved annually (Lee et al., 2012). In Malta, the situation is similarly grim. It is troubling to note that Maltese men rank top in European obesity chart and Maltese women place third (Eurostat, 2011). Furthermore, Malta is labelled as one of the most sedentary populations on earth (Stagno‐Navarro, 2012), with 71.9% of the population failing to meet recommended levels of PA (Hallal et al., 2012). It was estimated that Malta could gain an increase of 1.2% years in life expectancy if physical inactivity were eliminated (Lee et al., 2012). Lee et al. (2012) revealed that Malta has the highest estimate for coronary heart disease (CHD), type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer and all‐cause mortality, compared to other European countries, almost double to the European and Worldwide median in all variables (Table 1).