A recent survey conducted among urban kids reveals that obesity has set in much before adolescence among children in India.
The study conducted by Bangalore-based EduSports, a sports-management company that works closely with school children, revealed that nearly 23 per cent of the 4,098 children (aged between 5 and 14 years) surveyed across the country, possessed a high Body Mass Index (BMI).
The study, which measured aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, flexibility, muscle strength and body composition in the children surveyed, found that 25 percent of the children above 8 years of age and 19 percent children in the age group of 7 years and below were obese. While, 19 percent children showed low BMI level, a whopping 42 percent of the children surveyed did not possess ideal BMI ratios.
The study was made part of the curriculum in 21 schools across 15 cities in India. A total of 2,200 boys and 1,898 girls were surveyed.
This is not the only survey that reveals the increase in this serious health problem. Another one conducted by The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, among children in the age group of 14 and 18 found 17 percent of children to be obese or overweight. A similar study by Delhi's Fortis Hospital found that 28 percent of school kids in the city are obese, whereas a research in urban areas of southern India revealed 21 percent boys and 18 percent of girls between 13 and 18 years, to be obese.
The studies have also shown how parents in India are unaware that their children are overweight or obese.
One of the reasons why obesity is growing at an alarming pace among children in India is the lack of physical activity among them. The space constraints across schools in Indian cities have children with no opportunity to participate in games and other physical activities. In Mumbai, for example, the neighbourhood park is a rare sight. Playgrounds and parks are becoming extinct, increasingly being replaced by shopping malls. Very often, and especially during weekends when footfalls are higher, these malls organize and host recreational activities for children such as drawing and painting, indoor gaming, cultural programmes, and other participatory events. But much of these activities are sedentary and cannot replace the benefits physical exercise would impart for healthy growth and development of children.
Children of today are exposed to environments that allow familiarity to computers and video games much earlier in age as opposed to say, a decade ago. Located in Bhayander, Mumbai, Maxus mall spread over five lakh square feet has reserved 18,000 square feet for a dedicated gaming zone for children. The mall owners have gone on quote saying they are in the process of further expanding the gaming zone as the demand for this form of entertainment is increasing by the day.
Endocrinologist Dr Shehzad Topiwala, says in his blog on, “Obesity in children is largely attributable to a sedentary lifestyle, which gets compounded by overeating.” In the absence of an environment that fails to encourage exercise or healthy eating, children are becoming prey to obesity early on in life.”
While chronic obesity is a complex condition, its root cause is consumption of calories in excess of what the body is able to use. An adequate level of physical activity can help utilize excess calories obtained through food and drink. An inactive or sedentary life style, on the other hand, leads to unhealthy weight gain.
Dr Topiwala points out how parents too are responsible in overlooking this problem. “Parents naturally want their children to gain weight, as they grow. The result is that they tend to overlook, even welcome, some extra pounds that creep in. But such a situation carries the risk of imminent obesity and can become a serious problem,” he says.
Endocrine and genetic problems are uncommonly responsible for childhood obesity; they are indicated if the child is short, in addition to obese. Also, you belong to a family of overweight people, your child is genetically predisposed to be overweight.
The genetic makeup of Indians is different from that of other ethnic groups. Indians are known to have a higher percent of fat for a given body mass index to height ratio, said Mumbai-based eminent endocrinologist Dr H B Chandalia.
Obesity in children is dangerous, reiterates Dr Topiwala. ”Obese children are at much greater risk of growing into obese adults. This can make them prone to several, serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, eating disorders, high blood pressure, respiratory problems, liver problems, and sleep disorders. Moreover, they may experience fatigue, and emotional problems such as low self-esteem and lack of confidence. Behavioral issues and depression too are not uncommon in obese people,” he adds.
Obesity is a growing global problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been active in its mission to curb the global problem of childhood obesity. In December, last year, WHO organized an event, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sports, France to discuss population based prevention strategies for childhood obesity. This was in response to the increasing number of obese children (more than 22 million) across the globe. The event invited academics and government officials from WHO regions to discuss the pros and cons of population based initiatives to prevent childhood obesity, and make plans to scale up successful intervention and ensure sustainability of national policies to tackle obesity in children.
In India approximately 70 million people are considered obese. One of the many serious consequences of obesity is the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which is itself a major health concern for India.
Parents in India need to be aware of the overall impact of obesity in the future health of their children, and accordingly make necessary changes in the environmental factors that are in their control – encourage exercise and take control of nutritional requirements, discourage and delay unhealthy eating of junk and processed foods.
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