Obesity killed 369 people last year

Illnesses linked to obesity killed 369 people in Malta last year, Health Minister Chris Fearne has revealed.
The minister said the figure was lower than the EU average even though Malta has the highest obesity rate of any member state. He released the figures in response to a question by PN MP Ivan Bartolo. “According to the information provided by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) there were 369 deaths related to obesity in 2019,” Fearne said. The top ten causes of death in Malta last year, according to the IHME were:

Heart disease
Stroke
Alzheimer's disease
Lung cancer
Lower respiratory infections
Colorectral cancer
Diabetes
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)Chronic kidney diseases
Breast cancer

Answering another parliamentary question related to obesity, Fearne said that since 2017, the Labour government has been working hard in order to raise awareness on obesity.
He said that several campaigns were made available to highlight this issue.
The Malta Country Health Profile report published earlier this year showed that obesity in Malta remains a major public health threat, with obesity rates rising to the highest in the EU in both adults...