Obesity is fast gaining epidemic proportions amongst children in India. A recent study published in the science journal PloS one warned that while one in five adults is obese, around 20 per cent of children also fall into this category.
The highest rates of overweight and obesity have been found in nutritionally advanced states of Punjab, Kerala and Delhi, which also demonstrate a higher risk of non-communicable diseases. Paediatrician Vandana Prasad, national convenor of the Public Health Resource Network, warns that in India, obesity no longer restricted to the rich and upper class.
“In my clinic in Jamrudpur, I am coming across a large numbers of fat poor children who are being fed increasingly on junk food. The poor are suffering from two burdens — malnourishment and inability to afford proteins and nourishing food,” said Dr Prasad. This trend is similar to what has been witnessed in the US where it is the poor who are obese and overweight.’
Doctors working with the Jan Swasthya Sahyog in Chhattisgarh confirm that tribal population in this state are facing the similar problem. Being overweight is triggering a diabetes epidemic. Type-2 is the most common type of diabetes which is currently accounts for between 85-95 per cent of all cases and is often linked to obesity.
According to the Public Health Foundation of India, 51 million Indians are currently suffering from diabetes, which marks an increase of over 70 per cent from 1991. Junk food and a sedentary lifestyle are two of the main causes for this rise in obesity.