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Delhi children getting overweight, says study

NEW DELHI: Childhood obesity is tilting the scale against children in urban Delhi with the latest survey on “Childhood obesity in Asian Indians” finding them more overweight and unhealthier than those surveyed nearly half a decade ago.

“The overall prevalence of overweight/obesity in urban children in Delhi has shown an increase from 16 per cent in 2002 to about 24 per cent in 2006-07. Our recent data has shown that the prevalence of overweight/obesity among adolescent children was 29 per cent in private schools and 11.3 per cent in government funded schools,” says Anoop Misra of the Fortis Group of Hospitals. He was part of the study which has been published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently.

Stating that contrary to the popular misconception in India and other developing countries that an obese child is a healthy child and that baby fat will go away with time, the study points out that the rapid rise of obesity in children is the prime reason for increasing insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

The “health consequences of childhood obesity” with reference to Asian Indians indicates that about one-third of overweight or obese urban children have insulin resistance. “Also many studies from India show that females have more obesity and metabolic syndrome compared with males,” adds Dr. Misra.

Adding that the lack of appropriate play area makes it difficult for children to stay active, Dr. Misra notes: “Limited open space around home makes its difficult for children to stay physically active. Parents are often overworked and find it easy to let children order ‘fast food’; and hardly have any time to oversee balanced nutrition for children. Children also spend more time in front of television and computer at the expense of sports and physical activities.” Girls are often forced to opt for a more sedentary lifestyle from school year and are more at risk warns the report, adding that the high burden of school and academic competitiveness have led to decreased participation in sports and any other form of physical activity among students.

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