Roughly eight crore Indians, including one crore in the 5-19 years age group, are obese, according to an analytical report published in the reputed medical journal ‘The Lancet’. The report, conducted by NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, reveals that approximately 1 billion people worldwide live with obesity, which accounts for one out of eight individuals. Obesity is considered a form of malnutrition, along with underweight or thinness. Both conditions pose risks to organ health and increase the vulnerability to various diseases. The report focuses on the prevalence of both undernutrition and obesity in India for the period between 1990 and 2022.
In India, the rate of underweight women decreased by roughly 30% between 1990 and 2022, affecting 6.1 crore and 5.8 crore individuals, respectively. Conversely, obesity increased by 9% among women, with 4.4 crore being obese, and by 5% among men, with 2.6 crore being obese during the same period. Among the youth aged 5-19 years, 0.7 crore boys and 0.5 crore girls were found to be obese.
The report also highlights the global trend of increasing obesity rates among children and adolescents. The analysis indicates that the obesity rate in this population segment in 2022 was four times higher than the rate in 1990. The findings stress the urgent need to address the issue of obesity and its consequences on public health in India and around the world.
