Curbing Obesity

With a mission to lead and drive global efforts to reduce, prevent and treat obesity, the World Obesity Federation (WOF) launched World Obesity Day in 2015 that is now observed globally on October 11. With more than 135 million individuals affected by obesity in India, abdominal obesity is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVDs). The WOF estimates about three out of ten Indians are expected to be obese by 2025. India needs to gather some learning lessons from other countries where the industry is collaborating with regulators to achieve regulatory environments that are conducive for product reformulation, labelling and marketing regulation, ensuring a range of healthy options for consumers.

- Dr Manbeena Chawla

Chronic diseases have emerged as the leading causes of death in India, accounting for about seven out of ten deaths in the country. The burden of chronic diseases is predicted to continue to escalate due to the changing lifestyle and behaviour patterns. One of the most common lifestyle-related diseases is obesity that is rapidly increasing due to the growing industrialization and rapid urbanization. The worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity has doubled since 1980 to an extent that nearly a third of the world population is now classified as overweight or obese. Globally, 678 million adults, or 1 in 8, were obese in 2018. According to the 2019 UN report, obesity contributes to an estimated 4 million deaths and costs of approximately $2 trillion annually to the global economy. With a mission to lead and drive global efforts to reduce, prevent and treat obesity, the World Obesity Federation (WOF) launched World Obesity Day in 2015 that is now observed globally on October 11.

With more than 135 million individuals affected by obesity in India, abdominal obesity is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVDs). The WOF estimates about three out of ten Indians are expected to be obese by 2025. The prevalence of obesity in India varies due to age, gender, geographical environment, socio-economic status, etc. Various studies have shown that the prevalence of obesity among women were significantly higher as compared to men. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) 2017 study that conducted the most comprehensive analysis of physical activity patterns across states, has found that women are far less active than men. The study has also revealed that the prevalence of obesity is higher among the urban populations, high socioeconomic states and also in South India.