The myth behind obesity in India

If lifestyle diseases are the bane of modern life, then obesity is the root. No longer a rich person’s disease, it starts right from childhood

fit and confident fat boy in starting position ready for running. kid athlete about to start a sprint looking at camera with bright sunlight. diet and exercise concept

Here’s a number to wake us up from our movement-devoid lives: In the next eight years, around 268 million children and adolescents between the ages of five and 17 are likely to be heavier than normal. And of these, 91 million may be obese. Fast forward to 2025: around 12 million children may well have glucose intolerance, four million Type II diabetes, 27 million high blood pressure and 38 million liver disease.

These statistics, from a study titled ‘Childhood Obesity: The Indian Scenario Compared with World Wide’, are not meant to scare us, but rather, as Dr Praveen Raj, head of Bariatric Surgery at Gem Hospital & Research Centre in Coimbatore, puts it: “It’s time we understood the seriousness of obesity and started treating it as a disease.”

We assume obesity is because of eating junk. However, Dr Raj points out, “Junk food has always been around. Our grandparents ate

thattai ,

adirasam ,

murukku , then came the biscuits, and now children eat chips and fried food. The only difference is there has been a steady decline of physical activity.”

He goes on to add that obesity, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia are diseases of metabolism. “Most obese people have one or a combination of these. Obesity is linked to PCOD in girls, which leads to infertility. They are prone to diabetes and insulin resistance. Metabolism is decided by genes, diet and childhood activities, and also adult lifestyle. The stress levels, sleep patterns, and ageing are all part of it.”

According to him, the stress on academic excellence, compromises on the time a child spends outdoors. “Mental or physical stress in children reduces metabolism and plays a big role in obesity.”

What you can do

Parents and children together can manage weight better shows a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior . Sangeetha Subhash says small lifestyle changes helped her overweight son lose the flab. “We cut down on eating out. I replaced biscuits and chips with home-made sundal , and momos with stuffed vegetables. Whenever I make noodles or pasta, I add finely-chopped vegetables so that we consume more veggies. We stopped buying soft drinks and snacks that come in packets, and, replaced white sugar with jaggery. Though, they resisted in the beginning, now they love it.”

A multi-ethnic family is playing soccer together at the park on a summer day.

Adding healthy twists to their children’s favourite foods definitely works, agrees fitness trainer Reshma L, mother to a 14-year-old. “Orange dosa with green chutney did the trick! I added carrot puree to the dosa batter, and sometimes spinach too. If it is a boiled channa and pineapple salad, I throw in some shredded chicken as garnish. Or I shallow-fry chicken instead of deep-frying it,” she explains.

It helps if your child has a healthy role model to look up to. “I connected it with his goals. He wants to be a car racer. So I showed him videos of his idols to remind him about fitness,” says Reshma. Moreover, children tend to imitate their parents’ lifestyle, which is why Sangeetha says, “As a family, we prefer to go to a park and play, rather than sit at a movie.”

“We need to set an example. While at home, we put our phones away, eat healthy food — on time, and stay physically active. We live on a farm where we have our free-range chickens, so we make our own chicken nuggets to snack on,” says Gayathri Arul, mother of two teenagers. She herself has won a gold at the open National athletics championship in Goa, while her 65-year-old mother took part in the 100-metres event and long-jump, and her father-in-law is a javelin-thrower.

Fitness and diet apart, there is another equally important factor: sleep. “Once you go to bed late, the cycle is disturbed. We wake up early and go birding, walking or jogging,” says Gayathri.