Child anthropomorphy in the mid-20th century in the Maltese Islands

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity is has over the last decades become a major health issue in the Maltese population. A review of the mid-20th century child health concerns in Malta would help elucidate the pathophysiology of this current epidemic and determine whether the rise is genetic or a consequence of changes in nutritional and activity habits. Methods: The present study compares the body weight data of Maltese children aged 5-14 years measured in 1949 and compares these with corresponding published standards for English children published in 1965, and to data for Maltese children aged 5 and 9 years with anthropomorphic data of comparable cohort of children measured in 2009. Results: The data suggests that in the mid-20th century, Maltese children were markedly under-nourished when compared to their British counterparts. Maltese children today are shown to be particularly overweight-obese. Conclusion: The problems related to body weight in childhood have come a full circle from concerns with under-nutrition in the mid-20th century to concerns with over-nutrition in the later part of the century. Both extremes are associated with metabolic consequences that increase the likelihood of adult-onset metabolic disease, unless controlled and catered for during childhood.