A big fat problem
Experts have also underlined the links between these lifestyle-related diseases and obesity. Long thought to be an urban problem, obesity has become a health threat in rural parts of the country in the last decade. Now, a study published in the medical journal, The Lancet, has revealed that it also affects children. More than 12 million children (7.3 million boys and 5.2 million girls) in the country, aged between five and 19, were grossly overweight in 2022, up from 0.4 million in 1990. A gender skew also marks the rise in obesity levels: The Lancet study found 44 million women and 26 million men aged above 20 in India to be obese, up from 2.4 million women and 1.1 million men in 1990.
WHO defines obesity as an “abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that poses health risks”. Like in most parts of the world, in India too the problem stems from an increase in sedentary lifestyles, improvement in living standards and access to processed foods. The recently released results of the Household Consumption Survey show that Indians are spending less on cereals and pulses and more on beverages, refreshments and processed food. According to a joint study conducted by WHO and ICRIER last year, India’s ultra-processed food industry grew at a compound annual growth rate of 13.37 per cent in terms of retail sales value between 2011 and 2021. Unfortunately, the country’s nutrition-related policies, such as Poshan 2.0, do not give adequate attention to unhealthy eating habits. The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Strokes does recommend screening and early interventions to check the obesity-related risk factors from becoming complicated. The guidelines recommend annual screening for excess weight in children as young as two to six years old. However, a lack of awareness about the seriousness of the issue, including in the medical community, means that these prescriptions are rarely followed.
India is not the only country with an intractable obesity problem. WHO notes that no country is on track to meeting its target of bringing down obesity to 2010 levels by 2025. However, in several parts of the world, conversations have begun on trying to deal with the problem through measures such as higher taxes on unhealthy food and incentives for healthy food, front-of-pack nutrition labelling to guide consumers and awareness programmes. India has been an outlier to such discussions. The Lancet report should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers.
The Indian Express