Obesity in India
Obesity in India has reached epidemic proportions in the 21st century, with morbid obesity affecting 5% of the country's population.[1] India is following a trend of other developing countries that are steadily becoming more obese. Unhealthy, processed food has become much more accessible following India's continued integration in global food markets. This, combined with rising middle class incomes, is increasing the average caloric intake per individual among the middle class and above income households. Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and NGOs such as the Indian Heart Association have been raising awareness about this issue.[2] While studying 22 different SNPs near to MC4-R gene, scientists have identified a SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) named rs12970134 to be mostly associated with waist circumference. In this study more than two thousand individuals of Indian origin participated and the aforementioned SNP is highly prevalent in this group.[3] Internationally, a BMI over 25 kg/m2 is considered overweight. Due to genetic tendency of Indians towards abdominal obesity and its associated risk of related lifestyle diseases like Diabetes & Heart Disease, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare along with the Indian Council of Medical Research released updated guidelines (in 2012) that a BMI over 23 kg/m2 is considered overweight. Further definitions: Normal BMI: 18.0-22.9 kg/m2, Overweight: 23.0-24.9 kg/m2, Obesity: >25 kg/m2.
NFHS data
This is a list of the states of India ranked in order of percentage of people who are overweight or obese, based on data from the 2007 National Family Health Survey.[4]
| States | Males (%) | Males rank | Females (%) | Females rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 12.1 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
| Punjab | 30.3 | 1 | 37.5 | 1 |
| Kerala | 24.3 | 2 | 34 | 2 |
| Goa | 20.8 | 3 | 27 | 3 |
| Tamil Nadu | 19.8 | 4 | 24.4 | 4 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 17.6 | 5 | 22.7 | 10 |
| Sikkim | 17.3 | 6 | 21 | 8 |
| Mizoram | 16.9 | 7 | 20.3 | 17 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 16 | 8 | 19.5 | 12 |
| Maharashtra | 15.9 | 9 | 18.1 | 13 |
| Gujarat | 15.4 | 10 | 17.7 | 7 |
| Haryana | 14.4 | 11 | 17.6 | 6 |
| Karnataka | 14 | 12 | 17.3 | 9 |
| Manipur | 13.4 | 13 | 17.1 | 11 |
| Uttarakhand | 11.4 | 15 | 14.8 | 14 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 10.6 | 16 | 12.5 | 19 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 9.9 | 17 | 12 | 18 |
| Jammu and Kashmir | 8.7 | 18 | 11.1 | 5 |
| Bihar | 8.5 | 19 | 10.5 | 29 |
| Nagaland | 8.4 | 20 | 10.2 | 22 |
| Rajasthan | 8.4 | 20 | 9 | 20 |
| Meghalaya | 8.2 | 22 | 8.9 | 26 |
| Odisha | 6.9 | 23 | 8.6 | 25 |
| Assam | 6.7 | 24 | 7.8 | 21 |
| Chhattisgarh | 6.5 | 25 | 7.6 | 27 |
| West Bengal | 6.1 | 26 | 7.1 | 16 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 5.4 | 27 | 6.7 | 23 |
| Jharkhand | 5.3 | 28 | 5.9 | 28 |
| Tripura | 5.2 | 29 | 5.3 | 24 |
| Delhi | 45.5 | 36 | 49.8 | 64 |
See also
References
- ↑ "India facing obesity epidemic: experts". The Hindu. 2007-10-12.
- ↑ Indian Heart Association Webpage 26 April 2015. <http://indianheartassociation.org/>
- ↑ Genetic basis for weight gain
- ↑ "National Family Health Survey, 2005-06". Mumbai: International Institute for Population Sciences. 2007.
Further reading
- Praween Kumar Agrawal (2002-05-23). "Emerging Obesity in Northern Indian States: A Serious threat for Health" (PDF). IUSSP Conference, Bankik, June 10–12 2002.
- C. S. Yajnik (2007-03-07). "Obesity epidemic in India: intrauterine origins?". Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. The Nutrition Society. 63 (3): 387–396. doi:10.1079/PNS2004365. PMID 15373948.
- A Misra (November 2001). "Corrigendum to High prevalence of diabetes, obesity and dyslipidaemia in urban slum population in northern India". International Journal of Obesity Related Metabolic Disorders. 25=9 (9): 1281. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802030.
- K. Yoon; J. Lee; J. Kim; J. Cho; Y. Choi; S. Ko; P. Zimmet & H. Son (2006-11-11). "Epidemic obesity and type 2 diabetes in Asia". The Lancet. 368 (9548): 1681–1688. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69703-1. PMID 17098087.