How India must tackle the obesity challenge that it faces
A large overweight or obese child/young adult population will be a burden on the economy. Policymakers need to plan for this crisis well ahead in time
India will have the largest population of obese or overweight adolescents/young adults (15-24 years) by 2050, as per an analysis published in The Lancet. It will also have the second-largest population of obese or overweight children (5-14 years). Throw in adult obesity at 450 million or close to 12% of the global overweight/obese population estimated in 2050, and the health care challenges for the country seem overwhelming.
From cardiovascular illnesses to cancers, from type 2 diabetes to hormonal imbalances, the health effects of being overweight or obese are physiologically pervasive. With such a large population facing these risks, the burden on health care will shoot up by many multiples from now, stretching the already inadequate health care capacity even more (not to mention quality deficits in the public sector). And, given that the prevalence of infectious diseases could rise or frequently assume scales that present a massive management challenge as planetary warming worsens, low- and middle-income countries will find their systems tottering under the combined weight. This obesity epidemic will also extract serious costs from the economy, with productivity losses and high costs of health care. The retarding effect of such imposts on the national income are well documented and India’s policymakers, at the Centre and in the states (health is a state subject), need to cope with the hurdles these pose for the stated national target of India becoming a developed economy by mid-century.
Sedentary lifestyles, eating disorders (some of which may have links to untreated mental health conditions), genetic conditions, and poor metabolism are among the several factors that contribute to obesity/being overweight. A State focus on encouraging physical activity/fitness, driving nutrition awareness, mapping diets and eating habits against individual levels of physical activity, and early diagnosis and intervention in case of genetic, mental health, and physiological factors that increase the propensity to accumulate body fat could help correct course. Given early obesity is a precursor for obesity and related complications in later life, focussed intervention among children, adolescents, and young adults, sustained over successive generations will be key. Childhood undernutrition — still a challenge for the country despite improved showing — causes physiological shifts by making the body store nutrients in excess of requirements, anticipating a need to respond to starvation. Therefore, along with childhood obesity, ensuring nutritional security in the early years needs attention. Multiple stakeholders — parents, schools, civil society, and, of course, the government — will have pivotal roles in ensuring this.
All Access.
One Subscription.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
HT App & Website
