Editorial: Battling the bulging waistlines

With one in every eight people being overweight, India is staring at an obesity epidemic

The curse of the calories is truly upon us. Modern lifestyle, marked by disproportionate gadget screen time, junk eating, changing work patterns, and lack of physical activity, is pushing us towards a major health crisis. Sedentary life is the new age silent threat to public health, contributing significantly to the burden of chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, dementia and cancer. With one in every eight people being overweight, India is staring at an obesity epidemic. It needs to be tackled on a war footing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent announcement, nominating ten prominent personalities from diverse fields to promote awareness on the modern menace is a welcome development. It is time to wage a collective war against bulging waistlines. Roping in celebrities, including film stars, sports persons, business leaders and politicians, to raise awareness about the dangers of unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyles is a laudable idea. Among those nominated by the Prime Minister are actors Mohanlal and R Madhavan, singer Shreya Ghoshal, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, businessman Anand Mahindra, shooter Manu Bhaker, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and philanthropist Sudha Murthy. As per the 2019–2021 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), around 24% of women and 22.9% of men are obese in India. The Prime Minister has rightly emphasised the need to reduce oil consumption by 10% each month and to launch a joint fight against obesity to build a fit and healthy nation.

Overweight and obesity are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a health risk. Data from the National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) reveals that obesity has been increasing across India over the years. The percentage of women who were obese grew from 20.6% during NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 24% during NFHS-5 (2019-21). The percentage of obese men increased from 18.9% to 22.9% during this period. A 2023 research paper in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia that analysed the NFHS-5 data, found the prevalence of abdominal obesity in the country was 40% in women and 12% in men. A shift in dietary choices and sedentary lifestyles are playing havoc with public health. According to a new global study, over 44 million women and 26 million men aged above 20 in India were found to be obese, compared to 2.4 million women and 1.1 million men in 1990. The World Obesity Atlas 2023 has warned that more than half of the world’s population will be overweight or obese in another 12 years unless urgent action is taken to curb the growing epidemic. In India, the overall impact of the health issues related to obesity on national GDP will be 1.8% by 2035. Comprehensive national action plans are needed to prevent and treat obesity. There is a need for targeted interventions at various levels to change dietary habits.

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