Introduction

Obesity is a condition where a person has accumulated abnormal or excessive body

fat that causes negative effects on health. For an individual, obesity is usually the
result of an imbalance between calories consumed and calories expanded.
An increased consumption of high calorie foods, without an equal increase in
physical activity leads to an increase in weight. Decreased levels of physical activity
will also result in an energy imbalance and lead to weight gain.
Stats:

 India is home to second highest number of young people who have excess
weight.
 According to a study, India will have over 17 million obese children and stand
second among 184 countries where the numbers of obese children are
concerned, according to a study.
 Globally, over two billion children and adults suffer from health problems
related to being overweight or obese, and an increasing percentage of people
die from these health conditions, researchers said.

Cause
Bad Lifestyle:

 A bad lifestyle is the key cause of obesity; contrary to popular belief, the
experts we spoke to say genetics or metabolic disorders such as thyroid do
not play a significant role.

Eating habits:

 This is one of the major causes of obesity. Obesity never develops overnight;
it progresses from poor diet. And wrong eating habits from the childhood also
make people obese.

Junk food:

 Globally, as people tend to eat out more often, the consumption of junk food is
among key causes of obesity. During childhood, children fed junk food will find
it hard to develop good eating habits.

Less physical activities:

 Lack of physical activity aided by technology boom is making us physically

inactive and leading to people becoming obese.
1. Changed dietary habits : inclination towards junk and fast foods, beverage etc.
2. Hectic life style, no fix timing for lunch and dinner, skipping breakfast sometimes
leads to hidden hunger
3. Flooding of processed food, low food standards (maggie controversy), use of
pesticides and chemical preservatives also creating problem
4. Environmental impact : increasing pollution, infusion of carcinogenic elements
leading to many diseases that may lead to obesity

Wayforward
 India’s policy responses should include agricultural systems that promote crop
diversity as well as regulatory and fiscal measures (to decrease the availability,
affordability and promotion of unhealthy foods, while making healthy foods
more accessible).
 For example, taking the lead from a directive by the Delhi High Court, India
should ban the sale of junk food in and around schools.
 Obesity management, prevention and treatment should be provided as
essential health services.
 India should link obesity and undernutrition and treat them as twinned
challenges to be jointly addressed under the universal health coverage
umbrella.
 By tackling obesity through prevention and early care, financially debilitating
NCDs can be avoided.
 Agricultural systems should promote crop diversity to enable dietary diversity.
 We should also include regulatory and fiscal measures such as decreasing the
availability, affordability and promotion of non-healthy food items while making
healthy food more accessible to people.
 We should ban the sale of junk food in and around schools.
 A higher tax on junk food can lead to people with lower incomes to live a healthy
life.
 Counselling and care ecosystem needs to be created to make people
(especially children) aware about poor lifestyle choices and obesity
management, prevention and treatment techniques.
 India should link undernutrition and obesity so as to treat them as twin
challenges to be jointly addressed under universal health coverage umbrella.

How child obesity can be reduced?

1. Guidelines for Junk foods
2. Introduction of PT period in schools
3. Mandatory minimum grounds size and other sports infrastructure
(Strict implementation of RTE act norms).
4. Construction of parks and leave open spaces in colonies ( urban planning) so that
children do not remain busy with indoor activity like video games, computer games.
5. Motivate parents to play along with their child.
6. Organisation of sport competitions at local level by municipalities, societies etc.

How adult obesity can be reduced?

1. In tune with international yoga day, can fix yoga days in a week in offices, welfare
societies etc.
2. Swachh bharat abhiyan, cleaning of parks and other spaces so that adults can come
for exercise.
3. Adult games competition in offices.