Malta Has a High Obesity Rate, But for a Good Reason

As someone used to the world-leading obesity rates in America, it is interesting to read about the equivalent in the EU. Malta, with only a quarter of the population classified as obese, is considered one of the most obese in the bloc. It speaks to just how healthy the average European is compared to the average American. But the figures also point, perhaps only marginally, just how the Maltese lifestyle, in a rather unfortunate way, may be much more similar to the American one as compared to other places on the continent. 

Squint hard enough, life in Malta can be quite similar to the US. Like in the US, many main roads do not have pavements, stopping people from walking to places even if the distances are not so great. The lack of frequent rail-based public transport options in Malta, as is the case in many American cities, also means that residents have to resort to their personal vehicles to get even the most mundane tasks done. Like in the US, bars and pubs are frequented any time of the day, with a good few pints and cigarettes accompanying conversations lasting into hours.

But look slightly deeper, and little things unique to Malta also make it difficult for people to stay slim. The country relies on desalinated water. It is safe to drink but your morning cup of coffee or tea may need extra sugar and milk just to balance out the residual saltiness to the palate. Being a little island with a limited domestic market, Malta gives little business incentives for producers and importers of even basic daily necessities. With prices high as a result, many of the island's poor will have to resort to cheaper processed foods.

The most un-American thing in Malta's obesity, perhaps, is the attitude toward life. With warm 15-degree weather even in the coldest time of the year, the country has a perpetually relaxing vibe that makes working feel a bit more of a chore than it would in the US, where hustling is both ingrained in a culture of self-reliance and entrepreneurship grounded in history, religion, and economic structure. After all, why try harder when there are other sources of happiness more fulfilling than working endlessly for the impersonal joy of God and shareholders?

For the native residents, the case of working hard being illogical is furthered by the widespread presence of a migrant labor force consisting of Filipinos, Indians, and Africans. Just as Arabs in the Gulf, residents can benefit from low taxes as well as free healthcare and education, not to mention income from renting out centuries-old real estate properties, all on the back of hard work by the migrants. The economic structure, driven by growth due to the migration of both people and ideas from abroad, favors locals who are willing to sit around and become obese.

While obesity is objectively negative given the negative health consequences, the underlying cause of it in Malta makes one wonder how exactly should happiness in everyday life be defined. Sitting under the warm sun, nursing a cold beer, watching the glistening ocean waves lap the shores while enjoying conversations with friends...if this sight can be had, day in and day out, without having to put in overtime hours slaving away in a corporate box, it would be no wonder that many people choose to sit around and fatten up.

That idea of "simple happiness" is so contagious that many people are willing to come to Malta a few times a year so they can partake in the illusion that they can somehow afford it as well. All the beachfront chalets are in demand for the summer months when northern Europeans make their annual vacation south. Their nine months of working hard day in and day out is often motivated by their ability to, for three months a year at least, pretend that, like the many Maltese who experience it every day, they do not have to work that hard to survive.

One can only say Malta has it lucky that they get to be obese. Yes, practical problems of high import and production costs, combined with sub-par infrastructure, are contributors to the high obesity rates. But just as important in contribution is a sense of mental well-being, driven by a collective dismissal of the corporate rat race that characterizes the professional race of Americans, Asians, and many other Europeans. Malta, having created a system that makes it possible at least for some people, is worth celebrating with a few pints by the sea under the warm sun.