Obesity on the Rise in India

Apparently, we have outsourced obesity, too:

Almost 70% of urban youth in India obese: Study
India Today

People in the age group of 24 to 39 years, who have been living in big metros or booming small towns, are at the risk of being obese, a recent study has suggested.

The study puts an alarming 70 per cent of India’s urban population in the obese or overweight category. And, at risk is the generation that Facebooks rather than go over to meet friends, bonds over gaming sessions on Playstations or X-boxes rather than play cricket or badminton, the study warns.

Yeah, since they apparently don’t have a Wii amongst them—well, that’s the conclusion I’ve garnered from the article–they could all sit around and bloat up, err, bond over a game of Kreedaa Kaushalya instead of playing on outdated, crappy game consoles invented by Americans!

The national capital faces the ignominy of being the obesity capital of the country, while Chandigarh shares the top spot with Delhi.

While declining sex ratio has been a concern in the country for years, there is now a new worrying trend emerging in the cities. The number of obese women in urban areas has been on the rise. Every second member of the fairer sex falls into this category.

And, for long, India’s young population has been touted as India’s USP in the globalised economy. However, it also seems to be hit by the severe problem of obesity. For, it is the 24-39 age group that is the worst affected.

Why urban India? Experts suggest obesity has to do with the lifestyle of the majority of the population in urban India. The urban populace has easy access to high-calorie packaged foods such as burgers, chips and colas.

Darn those Americans!  Forcing those poor kids to eat and drink their capitalist junk food!

Moreover, people in cities follow a sedentary lifestyle. Little or no physical activity and a predilection for gizmos such as video games, computers are to blame.

The study which suggested that 70 per cent urban Indians are fat or overweight was conducted on 46,000 people who had internet access. Increase in the sale of cigarettes and alcohol consumption does not help either.

Darn those evil native Americans and their tobacco!  They’ve got some nerve, forcing these poor, innocent folks to smoke cigarettes!

Risks with obesity Piling on the calories without a check could have serious consequences for one’s health, especially if the person is classified overweight or obese.

There are more than 30 medical conditions associated with obesity and individuals who are obese can develop multiple ones.

The most prevalent obesity related diseases are diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease or cardiovascular problems.

It also heightens risk of a stroke, affects gall bladder and can aid the onset of osteo-arthiritis and leads to respiratory problems or sleeping disorders and even some kinds of cancers.

Children at risk What probably should set the alarm bells ringing is a November 2010 study by the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation of India.

It found that one in three children in private schools in Delhi were obese. The reasons though were quite similar to adult obesity, packaged foods and an acute lack of physical activity.

Explore posts in the same categories: Food, gaming, Health