'1 in every 5 kids obese, overweight'

One in every five children in India is either overweight or obese, placing them at a high risk of developing serious diseases.

What compounds the risks is the amount of time children spend on outdoor activities. Seven out of every 10 children in the age group of 13-15 years exercise for less than 60 minutes every day, according to a Population Reference Bureau report released here on Thursday.

Unhealthy diets coupled with barely any physical activity contributes to overweight and obesity in almost 20% of the children in India, making them prone to non-communicable diseases like Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, strokes and some types of cancers.

“Almost 25% of children spend more than three hours watching television and using computers,” said Anand Krishnan, professor, Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, here.

While a change in the lifestyle and the use of tobacco products drive the surge in non-communicable diseases in India, the report has also found fault with the food industry.

“In India, a country home to 243 million adolescents (a quarter of the global adolescent population), the food processing industry is one of the fastest growing sectors and accounts for about 50-60% of the consumption of edible sugar, salt and fats. About 85% of the food products consumed in India are processed,” it said. The high consumption of carbonated drinks is a contributing factor too, it added.

“We live in an age of convenience where people, both in urban and rural India, are increasingly eating processed food and fast food, leading to a rapid increase in the obese population. Aggressive marketing of these foods sets in eating patterns from early childhood,” Krishnan said.

An earlier analysis by an AIIMS team found higher childhood obesity in north India when compared to the southern states.

As a consequence, the risk of premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases is high, with almost 25-30% chances of dying prematurely in India.

Officials step in Officials of the Union health ministry have drawn up a pilot programme in 10 districts wherein government school teachers will be educated on the hazards of obesity-related disorders and students would be screened for diabetes and heart and lung diseases.

“Those found suffering from any of these problems would be treated at government clinics. If the pilot project succeeds, we intend to expand it for the next plan period from 2018,” Damodar Bachani, health ministry deputy commissioner for  non-communicable diseases, told DH.