World Obesity Day 2024: Crores of men, women and children in India need ‘proactive approach‘
health in different ways. The NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) is a worldwide network of scientists. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the rate of obesity among the world's children and adolescents in 2022 is four times higher than it was in 1990.
The adult obesity rate in India was expected to increase from 1.2% in 1990 to 9.8% for women and from 0.5% to 5.4% for men by 2022. It was reported that around 4.4 crore women and 2.6 crore men were affected by obesity in 2022. Between 1990 and 2022, the proportion of underweight children and adolescents worldwide was projected to decrease by nearly a fifth for girls and by more than a third for boys.
At the same time, the proportion of underweight adults worldwide has more than halved. The rate of obesity among girls rose from 0.1% in 1990 to 3.1% in 2022. For boys, it increased from 0.1% to 3.9% in the same period.
Surveys showed that, from 1990 to 2022, the global obesity rate would increase more than fourfold among both girls and boys, with increases in nearly all countries. “Obesity is a growing health crisis, and concerningly it is affecting our youth at an ever-alarming pace. Studies like this demand our attention.
It's time for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the community to come together," said Dr Pradeep Chowbey, Chairman - Max Institute of Laparoscopic, Endoscopic, Bariatric Surgery & Allied Surgical Specialities, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket. “The health of our nation depends on addressing this issue head-on. We need a proactive approach and our efforts must shift towards awareness, and prevention, starting with empowering children and families to make healthy choices," Dr Chowbey said.
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