Double burden of overnutrition and malnutrition in India

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - India has the world's second-largest obese population among children under five years of age which is a serious cause of concern, said experts on the occasion of World Obesity Day, which is being observed on Friday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Dr. J S Thakur, professor at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, said India is a unique case facing issues of malnutrition as well as overnutrition.

“Obesity among children is rising because of junk food and sedentary lifestyle,” he said, adding that while the problem of obesity is increasing, malnutrition is also a major issue.

"Obesity is rising because of junk food and low physical activity. But we also have one-third population of babies born with low weight.

"In urban areas it is obesity and in slum areas, you will find the problem of undernutrition, as they are not getting adequate calories which are required, balanced diet and infection are also common in such types of areas."

He added that issues such as sanitation, water are among the multiple factors responsible for this.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) recently found that the number of overweight children has increased from 2.1% in 2016 to 3.4% in 2021.

The report said that 33 states and union territories have registered an increase in obesity among children under five years of age.

"Lack of exercise and outdoor activities is among the main reasons for such a condition. Physical activities have stopped almost completely and the last two years of COVID-19 induced lockdown has also caused the situation to become worse for these children," psychiatrist Pramod Soni told Anadolu Agency.

He added that it is important that children should be kept away from mobile phones, which is also one of the reasons for the increase in obesity.

The government is planning to impose a tax on foods that are high in sugar, fat, and salt to deal with the issue of rising obesity.

Government think tank Niti Aayog is examining the evidence to figure out the actions the country can take to tackle increasing obesity. In a report, it said that incidences of overweight and obesity are rising among children, teenagers, and women in India.

Experts believe that the increase in obesity is due to a lack of physical activity and unhealthy food choices. Besides these problems, most Indians do not seem to appreciate the importance of leading a healthy and active life. They tend to lead inactive lives and lack the motivation to do exercise of any kind including going for walks.

The share of overweight women spiked from 20.6% in 2016 to 24% in 2021, while in men the number increased from 18.9% in 2016 to 22.9% in 2021, according to the NFHS.