Obesity affecting all age groups, dietary reforms needed: Economic Survey

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) Obesity is rising at an alarming rate and is today a major public health challenge in India, said the Economic Survey as it emphasised focusing on the intake of the right nutrition in their diets and treating dietary reforms as a public health priority.

Driven by unhealthy diets, lifestyle changes, including sedentary lifestyles, increased consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), and environmental factors, obesity is affecting people across all age groups and increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, impacting both urban and rural populations, said the survey tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

The 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) reports that

24 per cent of Indian women and 23 per cent of Indian men are overweight or obese.

Among women aged 15-49 years, 6.4 per cent are obese, and among men, 4 per cent are obese, the report said.

More troubling still, the prevalence of excess weight among children under five has risen from 2.1 per cent in 2015-16 to 3.4 per cent in 2019-21.

According to estimates, over 3.3 crore children in India were obese in 2020, and it is projected to reach 8.3 crore children by 2035, the survey report expressed concern.

India is one of the fastest-growing markets for UPF sales, the survey said, stating it grew by more than 150 per cent from 2009 to 2023.95. Retail sales of UPFs in India surged from USD 0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly USD 38 billion in 2019, a 40-fold rise.

“It is during the same period that obesity has nearly doubled in both men and women. This mirrors the global rise of obesity, parallel to dietary shifts,” the survey said.

The UPFs are displacing long-established dietary patterns, worsening diet quality and are associated with increased risk of multiple chronic diseases, the survey said, as it called for exploring a ban on their advertisements from morning to late night.

It stated that a global team of researchers worked on the Lancet Series on UPFs and human health, consolidating the global evidence demonstrating that high UPF consumption is associated with several adverse health outcomes, such as obesity, chronic heart disease risk, respiratory issues, diabetes, mental health disorders, etc.

The rising use of UPFs imposes a substantial economic cost through higher healthcare spending, lost productivity and long-term fiscal strain.

The survey has also called for restrictions on the marketing of infant and toddler milk and beverages.

It suggested a “front-of-pack nutrition labelling” of high-fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) food with a warning, restricting marketing to children, and ensuring that trade agreements do not undermine public health policy.

Recognising obesity as a critical public health concern, the government has launched comprehensive, multi-pronged initiatives to prevent, manage and reduce obesity in the country, the survey said.

The interventions are strategically designed by multiple ministries to promote a holistic approach that integrates health, nutrition, physical activity, food safety, and lifestyle modifications (e.g., POSHAN Abhiyaan and Poshan 2.0, Fit India Movement, Khelo India, Eat Right India and ‘Aaj Se Thoda Kam’ campaign) and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, the School Health Programme, and Yoga promotion continue to advance the goal of a healthier, stronger and obesity-free India.

The survey stated that the Union health ministry has issued instructions to all states and Union territories to take action for a 10 per cent reduction in oil consumption and intensify awareness through National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs (NP-NCD) platforms. Under the programme, over 31.5 crore adults have been screened and 8.47 crore were identified as overweight or obese.

Further, the FSSAI has launched the ‘Stop Obesity and Fight ObesityAwareness Initiative to Stop Obesity’ campaign to prevent obesity and reduce excessive oil consumption.

As part of the campaign, communication materials to raise awareness of obesity have been prepared in regional languages and sign language, alongside media outreach through FM radio, railway announcements, and digital platforms.

Above all, it is important for all to focus on the intake of the right nutrition in their diets, the survey report said. PTI PLB AMJ AMJ