Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the problem of obesity which is increasing rapidly in the country and the world in Mann Ki Baat. He advised people to avoid food items that increase obesity. To build a healthy nation, the problem of obesity has to be dealt with. Advising to reduce the use of oil in food, the Prime Minister said that it causes many diseases. Apart from obesity, there is also a risk of diabetes, BP and heart diseases, hence it is very important to avoid excessive use of oil. After the Prime Minister's statement, once again a discussion has started across the country on the disease of obesity becoming an epidemic. Health experts have reignited the discourse around obesity as a public health emergency.
How serious a disease obesity is becoming for the world can be estimated from the fact that one in every 8th person in the world is obese. Many reports released on health confirm that obesity is spreading rapidly in India too. The report says that in the country, women are more obese than men. The obesity rate among women is 9.8 percent. The obesity rate among men is 5.4 percent, while the obesity rate among girls is 3.1 percent and among boys it is 3.9 percent. Obesity has also increased four times in children. In India, 40 percent women and 12 percent men suffer from abdominal obesity. Obesity is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. The prevalence of obesity is comparatively higher in South India. The obesity rate is high in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Delhi. At the same time, the obesity rate is low in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), many people around the world are troubled by obesity. In the year 2022, more than one billion people are struggling with this problem. The study says that in 2022, the number of overweight adults was around 43 percent. In Europe, being overweight or obesity is one of the major causes of death and disability. According to an estimate, more than 12 lakh people die every year all over the world due to obesity. The WHO says that overweight and obese people have been differently affected by the consequences of the COVID pandemic, often experiencing more severe illness and other complications. Overweight or obesity is known to cause at least 13 different types of cancer, which may be directly responsible for at least two lakh new cases of cancer annually across Europe.
In fact, Obesity is now recognized as a complex chronic disease and a growing global threat, which has become a threat. It is emerging as an epidemic, and increased drastically in the last few decades. According to the WHO, the causes responsible for obesity as well as the need for evidence-based programs to prevent this crisis are understood, but they are not implemented. The UN says that governments and communities of almost all countries will have to take action to meet the global goals of overcoming obesity. These efforts have also been said to be supported by evidence-based policies of WHO and national public health agencies. It also requires the cooperation of the private sector, which will have to be accountable for the health effects of its products.
A study conducted in the year 2022 revealed that the total number of obese children, adolescents and adults worldwide has exceeded one billion. In 2022, 15.90 crore children and adolescents and 87.90 crore adults were obese. The data also shows that 43 percent of adults were overweight in 2022. In this study conducted in collaboration with WHO, more than 1,500 researchers in more than 190 countries analysed the weight and height measurements of more than 22 crore people aged five years or older. They looked at body mass index (BMI) to understand how obesity and underweight changed around the world from 1990 to 2022. The study says that while the number of underweight people has declined since 1990, obesity has become the most common form of malnutrition in most countries. The study also shows that malnutrition remains a major public health challenge.
According to the data of the study published in The Lancet, the number of adults suffering from obesity has almost doubled since 1990. Since 1990, the number of children and adolescents aged five to 19 years suffering from obesity has quadrupled, that is, obesity is increasing its scope very rapidly in this age group. The report says that obesity increases the risk of many non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, type-2 diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. Experts say that obesity can cause many serious diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Not only this, it also weakens the body. It can weaken bones and reduce the ability to walk. It affects good sleep and daily routine.
The growing concern also highlights the divide between healthy and unhealthy dietary patterns. In some cases, this is also an aggressive strategy of marketing companies, which promote unhealthy food. Sometimes, even when healthy food is expensive or not available, people prefer food that can increase obesity. Experts say that they have been watching obesity statistics for years. They are surprised by the increasing speed of obesity. Now many more countries are grappling with this problem. They say, the number of those places has also decreased, where low weight was becoming a problem among people.
Some experts also advocate dividing obesity into two new categories. The first is clinical obesity, which means that due to obesity, any organ of our body is not working properly, such as heart, kidney or liver. Second, pre-clinical obesity. It means that no disease has occurred yet, but the risk of getting sick has increased due to obesity. Oil is the main cause behind obesity. First of all, people will have to cut down on food oil. Foods with high fat content are harmful. To combat obesity, it is necessary to make changes in diet and lifestyle. Calories taken in excess of requirement are not burnt. Sugar-sweetened beverages also increase obesity. Exercise does miracles. Professionals can give proper advice for proper health care.