Obesity is on the rise and high levels of undernutrition persist in India: new study says | News Explained

What are the parameters of obesity and underweight?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that poses health risks.

Adults (people over 20 years of age) are considered obese if their body mass index (BMI) is 30 kg/m2 or higher. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by their height in meters squared. School-age children and adolescents (all people between the ages of 5 and 19) are considered obese if their BMI is two standard deviations above the mean.

Underweight is one of four broad subforms of undernutrition. An adult is considered underweight if her BMI is less than 18 kg/m2. School-age children and adolescents are considered underweight if their BMI is two standard deviations below the mean.

What does the data say about India?

Obesity rates among women have skyrocketed over the past three decades, increasing from 1.2% in 1990 to 9.8% in 2022, according to the study. By 2022, 44 million women will be obese. Meanwhile, obesity among men increased by 4.9 percentage points over the same period, and by 2022 there will be 26 million men with obesity.

Notably, childhood obesity has also increased significantly. Over the 32 years examined by the study, there was a 3 percentage point jump for girls and a 3.7 percentage point jump for boys. In 2022, 3.1% of girls' girlfriends and 3.9% of boys' girlfriends will be obese. In other words, in 1990, 200,000 boys and 200,000 girls were obese, but by 2022, 7.3 million boys and 5.2 million girls will be obese.

Despite significant declines, the prevalence of underweight and thinness remains high across gender and age groups. The study found that 13.7% of women and 12.5% ​​of men were underweight. Indian girls are found to have the highest underweight index (a measure of underweight in children) in the world at 20.3%. The incidence rate among Indian boys was the second highest at 21.7%.

Why are more women obese than men?

talk to indian expressDr. V. Mohan, one of the study authors from India, said:

Access to and time for physical activity such as walking or the gym. They also tend to prioritize their family's nutrition over their own. You may also get less proper sleep time, such as being the first to wake up and the last to go to bed. ”

Dr Mohan added that if central obesity is taken into account, the obesity rate among women will reach 40% to 50% in many parts of the country. Central obesity, which better predicts future risk for diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, is a condition in which excess fat accumulates in the abdomen.

How does socio-economic status influence obesity and malnutrition?

Dr. Mohan explained that obesity is no longer a disease of the wealthy in India. he said: “Eating junk food is cheap and easy. For example, samosas and pakoras from roadside huts cost less than fruits and vegetables. They are not as nutritious, but they taste better. Just like in other countries, a McDonald's hamburger costs, say, $1, but fresh vegetables are much more expensive. Increased has. to go”

Obesity is affecting more people, but rural-urban disparities still exist when it comes to obesity. Analysis of her NFHS-5 data from last year shows that obesity rates were 31.7% for urban women and 19% for rural women. The rate was 28.6% for men in urban areas and 18.8% for men in rural areas.

Undernourishment persists in extremely remote and rural areas of poor states where access to all types of food is low. “Undernourishment is widespread in extremely poor states such as Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa, where people may be eating only one meal a day,” Dr Mohan said.

What are the effects of obesity and malnutrition?

The health implications of obesity are clear. Increasing obesity, especially in children, can lead to an increase in diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes. However, the effects of nutritional deficiencies are less clear.

Dr Mohan said undernutrition is likely to increase the burden of non-communicable diseases. “There is a well-known hypothesis that babies who are born small are more likely to have smaller organs and blood vessels. They will catch up in growth later in life, but their bodies are less likely to adapt to increased nutrition and They are more susceptible to chronic diseases. Therefore, if a healthy weight baby and a low birth weight baby become obese later in life, the risk of diabetes and other diseases is much higher for the low birth weight baby. ” he said.

Dr Mohan explained that this is also seen in famine, where the incidence of diseases such as diabetes skyrockets after 10-15 years. Babies born during times of famine are smaller and therefore more likely to develop diabetes compared to the normal population, although diabetes may increase slightly.

What do I need to do?

According to the study, obesity and underweight should not be considered separately. “This is because the transition from underweight to obesity occurs rapidly, and the total burden may remain the same or become larger.” We suggest that programs should focus on programs that strengthen healthy nutrition, such as food assistance, free healthy school meals, and primary care-based nutrition interventions.

In addition to ensuring food security, the study also states that there is an urgent need to help obese people lose weight. “Prevention and management are especially important as the age of onset of obesity is decreasing and the duration of exposure to obesity is increasing. The challenge is to make healthy foods more affordable and accessible,” the study said. states.

Given the boom in the market for obesity drugs, the study adds: “New drug treatments for obesity, while promising, are costly and there are no generalizable clinical treatments available. guidelines that are likely to have little global impact in the short term. ”