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MALTATODAY 19 September 2021

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11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 SEPTEMBER 2021 NEWS LAURA CALLEJA A proposal to combat childhood obesity with an annual assess- ment for school children's die- tary goals, has been slammed as "fatphobic" by the Green Party candidate Mina Tolu. The proposal has also been criticised by clinical psycholo- gists and systemic psycho- therapist Maria Lisa Gilson, who said weighing children at school could harm students by leading to feelings of shame or embarrassment. The proposal has been float- ed by the Nationalist Party MP Clyde Puli as part of a raft of measures on childhood obesi- ty, promoting healthy lifestyles and physical activity. The PN wants a re-evaluation of the country's National Obe- sity Strategy to see where it has failed and where it reached its targets. The Malta Childhood Na- tional Body Mass Index Study published in 2019 found that approximately 40% of school- aged children in Malta were overweight or obese – a total of 41,343 students from 145 schools, ranging from four- to 17-year-olds. The results confirmed that Malta suffers from high lev- els of obesity in Malta chil- dren, and there was a notable difference between the north and south which should be ad- dressed by public health. Puli has called for a new strat- egy, but said the PN wants to see before- and after-school fit- ness programmes for children, with a PE teacher allocated to every school rather than hav- ing just peripatetic teachers shuttling around schools. "The discipline of physical educa- tion is no longer respected… the Sports Promotion Unit at Sport Malta has been virtually dismantled," Puli complained. But it was his proposal for a yearly assessment of dietary goals that has attracted more criticism. The ADPD candi- date Mina Tolu said the PN's proposal was a slide "further to the right" and which betrayed intolerance non-conforming bodies "be they fat and queer and migrant and disabled – disguised as concern for chil- dren." "But on a more tangible lev- el, the proposal of a 'strategy to fight obesity' is misguided in and of itself and will always be doomed to fail, while causing increased fatphobia and stigma of fatness. Because being fat – and I use the word with a lot of intent – does not equate with health," Tolu said. Puli however says he is mere- ly suggesting that children's progress be monitored, to- gether with discussing dietary habits and their implications with children and their par- ents. "After all, apart from literacy and other academic aspects, our education system already professionally watches out and monitors other social, psychological and emotional conditions and referrals are done where necessary. Should we not monitor these aspects because of the fear of stigma- tization? Of course not, but of course we need to be sensitive and caring," he said. Puli dismissed the argument that monitoring food intake at school would lead to food com- petition among children. "It is our duty and responsi- bility to educate the younger generation of what should a healthy diet include just as we strive to impart positive values. We are clearly aware of the is- sue, and we must be proactive in carrying out the necessary remedy. This should not be a competition – there is nothing to compete about. It is a matter of changing a culture." Maria Lisa Gilson, who spe- cialises in eating disorders, said she understands why it was easier to weigh children at school for research purposes as it cut out the middleman and prevents data from getting lost when parents don't participate. But Gilson also said she un- derstood that being weighed at school could harm students as it could lead to feelings of shame or embarrassment. Parents in the UK recently objected to their children be- ing weighed in school, in re- action to the UK government announcing they would be weighing children for a na- tional study on the effects of COVID-19 on the school-age population. "I'm not against children be- ing weighed. But there needs to be more sensitivity at school. One way to go about it would be not telling children the weight – that would elevate embarrassment. I think moni- toring and research are impor- tant, as long as it's done right." Besides not sharing weight with child when measured to elevate shame, Gilson said schools should also have a multidisciplinary team, includ- ing a paediatrician, nutrition- ist, and psychologist to discuss children's weight with their families and forge an individual plan for each child. "Obesity cannot be under- stood only as excess of food in- take, it may at times be linked to family adversity, limited fi- nances and other stressors," Gilson said. Gilson also stressed that BMI as a standalone index does not accurately depict when a person is obese – as it doesn't consider the bone density of a person and gender. "People can get fixed on a number; it can harm their mental health. BMI is just one measure and should be paired with multiple tests, not taken as a standalone figure." lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt Weighing children requires sensitive approach A PN proposal to monitor children's weight in schools has met mixed reactions Top: Clyde Puli has presented a raft of proposal on fighting obesity in schools. Bottom left: Mina Tolu thinks some proposals can be 'fatphobic' while psychologist Maria Lisa Gilson advocates a more nuanced position

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