Do yoga, play: Modi’s advice to children to avoid diabetes
NEW DELHI: Concerned over the rise of diabetes among children, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged them to practice yoga and play in open grounds to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
In his radio show Mann ki Baat, Modi — who practises yoga daily — mentioned that diabetes was earlier called ‘Raj-rog’ as it afflicted only those who led a life of luxury. “Our lifestyle has changed. One of the main reasons for being afflicted with such diseases at a young age is the lack of physical activity and the changes in our eating habits,” said Modi.
Obesity in India more than doubled in children between 1980 and 2015, showed an analysis of data from 195 countries from the Global Burden of Disease Study.
The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed that India’s 14.4 million children between the ages of two and 19 years, are obese.
With lifestyle disorders becoming a major concern even among middle class families, the PM tried to reach out to this section of people in his popular radio programme, offering advice on maintaining good health.
Modi has been promoting yoga tirelessly and this is the second time he spoke about lifestyle
“The rate at which obesity is growing in children is quite alarming as it means we will be faced with a large number of obese adults, prone to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and even certain types of cancer,” said Dr VK Bahl, head of cardiology department at AIIMS.
Epidemiologic studies have identified high body-mass index (BMI) — the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres — as a risk factor for an expanding set of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, cancers, and musculoskeletal disorders.
The Prime Minister hailed children as “emerging heroes in the creation of a new India” and family need to pay attention towards the crisis. “If you’ll start paying attention to it, you will see that there is no need to do anything extraordinary. You just need to make small regular changes in order to transform your habits, making them a part of your way of life.”
The PM, who enjoys a huge following, also said children could be made to take the stairs and after dinner, the entire family could go for a walk. “The practice of yoga for 30 minutes before school can impart much benefit.”
Modi spoke about his experience of celebrating Diwali with soldiers and hailed the Indian army’s role in peacekeeping forces across the world.
He also lauded the sharp rise in sale of khadi goods during the