TEACH KIDS TO START EATING HEALTHY AT YOUNG AGE

HARAN was only nine years old when he was diagnosed with high blood pressure (BP). At such a young age, to be diagnosed with this disease, it was a cause for concern, requiring immediate medical and lifestyle intervention.

- SINDUJA JANE @ Chennai

HARAN was only nine years old when he was diagnosed with high blood pressure (BP). At such a young age, to be diagnosed with this disease, it was a cause for concern, requiring immediate medical and lifestyle intervention. As his mother went for work, Charan was glued to the television after coming from school till 9 pm until she returned home and cooked him dinner. He went to bed right after having a full meal. This was his daily routine.

"One day the child was brought to the hospital with complaints of high blood pressure. Then we had to intervene, and suggested lifestyle modifications, reducing salt intake, encouraging physical activity, and developing healthy food habits. After six months of follow-ups, his weight reduced, and the BP also came down," said Dr V Vidhya, paediatrician at SIMS hospital.

Recognising obesity as a critical public health concern is very important, experts stress. According to the Union Health Ministry data, there has been an increase in the percentage of children under five years who are overweight (weight-for-height) from 2.1% in NFHS-4 (2015-2016) to 3.4% in NFHS-5 (2019-2021) at the all-India level.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), obesity is defined as an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. The commonly used metric to classify obesity is Body Mass Index (BMI), where a BMI of 25 or above is considered overweight, and a BMI of 30 or above is classified as obese. In India, a person is considered overweight if their BMI is between 23 and 24.9kg/m2, and obese if their BMI is 25 kg/m2 or higher. Morbid obesity occurs when a person's BMI is 35 or more, according to the Union Health Ministry. Increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, easy access to processed foods, physical inactivity, growing culture of eating at restaurants, and sedentary lifestyle are some of the key factors contributing to obesity, say experts.