Why is India staring at an obesity challenge? | Explained Premium

Is there an urban-rural divide? How are prices affecting the right food intake? Why does the rise in obesity have a bearing on non-communicable diseases like diabetes? Why is childhood obesity an area of concern? What is likely to happen in adolescence and adulthood?

The story so far: Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme highlighted the alarming increase in obesity in the country, particularly among children, and noted that obesity affected one in eight Indians. Mr. Modi urged people to reduce oil consumption by 10% each month and stressed that to build a fit and healthy nation, obesity needed to be addressed. Following this up with a social media post, Mr. Modi nominated a number of prominent personalities to spread awareness and strengthen the fight against obesity. 

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Overweight and obesity are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. 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 overweight/obese grew from 20.6% during NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 24% during NFHS-5 (2019-21). The percentage of overweight/obese men increased from 18.9% to 22.9% during this period. Urban numbers were significantly higher than rural numbers.

A 2023 research paper in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia that analysed the NFHS-5 data, found the prevalence of abdominal obesity (assessed through waist circumference) in the country was 40% in women and 12% in men. 

Childhood obesity is also an area of concern: the percentage of children under 5 who were overweight rose from 2.1% to 3.4% from 2015-16 to 2019-21, as per NFHS data. With older children the figures are higher: the World Obesity Atlas 2022 estimates that India will have a child obesity prevalence of 10.81% amongst 5 to 9-yearolds and 6.23% amongst 10 to 19-year-olds by 2030.

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Obesity is called the ‘mother of all diseases’. According to the WHO, obesity in adulthood is a major risk factor for the world’s leading causes of poor health and early death. These include: cardiovascular disease, several common cancers, diabetes and osteoarthritis.