The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) recently came out with its ‘Feeding Profit’ report that uncovered some trends that shed light on the global obesity crises. As per the UN report, obesity has now overtaken malnutrition as the more dominant form of improper nutrition among school-age children and teenagers.
The UN agency reported a sharp rise in the number of cases surging from low to middle income countries like India and recommended the government to take some pre-cautionary measures to curb the same.
How big is India’s obesity problem?
Data produced from the India’s National Family Health Survey (NFHS) indicates an alarming rise in registered cases of obesity in the country. The condition of being obese or ‘overweight’ has increased by 127 percent between 2005–06 and 2019–21 among Indian children under the age of 5 years.
Adult prevalence also rose significantly, with a 91 percent increase in women and a 146 percent increase in men during the same period. Generally, the overall prevalence of obesity across India is reported to be as high as 40.3%, with variations observed across states depending upon gender, and urban-rural settings.
Furthermore, India is projected to have over 27 million children and adolescents living with obesity by 2030, accounting for 11 per cent of the global burden.
Psychological cost of the emerging problem
The rise in the number of recorded cases of obesity could serve as a trailer for the larger picture of India’s upcoming health crises. UNICEF’s study further warns that these weight and nutrition-related health problems can increase the risk of individuals catching cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and different types of cancers.
Being overweight and obesity are also often associated with low self-esteem, anxiety and depression among children and teenagers and could risk worsening their mental health. Such a situation can force parents to bear the emotional toll of their children’s mental health troubles and the financial strain of higher medical expenses and lost income to care for them.
The number of children suffering from this condition roughly doubled towards the late 2010s. Since 2000, the number of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years living with overweight has doubled from 194 million to 391 million. As per the report, presently one in five children and teenagers across the world are suffering from obesity.