Can free gym memberships tackle Malta’s obesity crisis?

Billboards shoving new burgers, pizzas and fried chicken places that you must try at least once, using phrases along the lines of ‘it’s okay to give into your cravings’. Meanwhile, when you open any social media platform, you see influencers and news portals being paid to promote and sell you this food. New shopping complexes open and all you see are the usual sugary foods, pizzas and burgers.

Some may argue that young people are struggling because they lack willpower, or they are just too lazy. Yet, you cannot ignore that Malta is currently drowning in food noise, subconsciously pushing people towards fast food for a quick energy boost.

As a result, the island has the highest obesity rate in the EU, and yet its citizens are being bombarded with advertising that encourages indulgence.

Adult obesity in Malta reached 32.29% in 2022, up from 22.79% in 1990. That is a 42% increase over three decades. Approximately 75% of Maltese men and 60% of women are now overweight or obese, the highest figures in the WHO European region.

Crucially, the problem is starting young. Among 11-year-olds, 28.7% are overweight or obese. For 13-year-olds, 26.9%. For 15-year-olds, 29.6%. By comparison, the EU average sits at around 18%. Even more concerning, five-year-olds, 34% of boys and 32% of girls are already affected.

In 2016, obesity cost Malta’s healthcare system €36.3 million, representing 5.6% of total health spending. By 2021, combined costs for obesity and type 2 diabetes reached €53 million. In 2024, seven deaths were directly attributed to obesity. In response, a national obesity clinic is planned for 2026.

Also, another important point worth considering is, if it’s citizens can even afford to purchase food, which could also be one of the reasons why Malta has an obesity challenge.

Given that, Malta has one of the lowest minimum wages in the EU. The cost of living continues to rise. Many households are making ends meet paycheck to paycheck. Put simply, healthy eating comes at a price. A meal from a health-focused restaurant or chain typically costs between €12 and €15.

For some families, that is simply not affordable. In contrast, the pastizz, Malta’s most iconic snack. It costs just €0.50, and pastizzi shops are found on nearly every corner. The problem is that a single pastizz is loaded with fats and carbohydrates, yet it’s cheap and highly accessible.

When people don’t have a lot of money and food costs are high, they’ll end up going for the cheapest option, regardless of nutritional value. The point here is that obesity isn’t just an individual issue, it’s a structural problem that needs to be dealt with real action.

To make matters worse, if an average EU grocery basket costs €100, the same basket in Malta costs approximately €113. Malta ranks among the highest in the EU for grocery costs and the 4th highest for the share of household income spent on food.

For many, the choice between healthy and unhealthy food is about what they can afford. A free gym membership, however welcome, does not address the reality that a family struggling to pay rent is unlikely to spend €15 on a salad when a pastizz costs 50 cents.

Kudos to the government for the free gym scheme for 16- to 21-year-olds. Nonetheless, if we do not change the way we view food and address the root causes of why Malta faces such significant public health challenges, this cycle is going to continue to repeat itself.

Free memberships may get young people through the gym doors, but without real changes to food pricing, advertising and cultural attitudes, they will step back out into the same environment that created the crisis in the first place.

To conclude, free gym memberships cannot effectively address Malta’s obesity issue, not due to their lack of merit, but because exercise alone can’t overcome an environment that is activley promotes overconsumption.