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New Delhi: The survey by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) has shown a rise in obesity among the children below the age of five years in 20 states of the country. The study was conducted in 22 states. The experts have attributed this as the lack of physical activity and unhealthy food habits.
According to the NFHS survey, states and Union territories including Mizoram, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Ladakh and Lakshadweep have registered an increase in obesity among kids under five years of age. The places that saw a decrease in the number of overweight children is Goa, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
The children obesity survey shows that 13.4 per cent kids under the age of five years were found to be obese in Ladakh, the highest among all the 22 states and UTs. Ladakh is followed by Lakshadweep with 10.5 per cent, Mizoram with 10 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir, and Sikkim with 9.6 per cent each. An increase can also be seen in obesity among adults. Andaman and Nicobar Islands along with Kerala has the highest percentage of obesity among women.
The experts in this field attributed the rise in obesity cases to unhealthy food, and lack of physical activities. There is a lack of awareness among the people for good food habits.
The rise in obesity among children is maybe due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in a lack of physical activities among them. There are various problems related to the obesity of children. One of which is the obese children are more prone to non-communicable diseases than others. Also, there are chances of obese children being bullied and neglected in school, which will lead to mental health problems among them.
However, it is different in the case of obese adults. The consumption of more ready-to-eat food and lack of outdoor space are the reasons behind obesity in adults.