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Obesity Crisis In India
India may have more than 440 million overweight and obese individuals by 2050, second to China, while the US, Brazil and Nigeria will follow at number three, four and five, respectively.
The research anticipates that almost 60 per cent of the world's adults and a third of all children will be overweight or obese by 2050 if governments fail to take action, a study stated.
It is projected that close to 3.8 billion adults will be obese or overweight in 15 years, while 21% rise in obesity among adolescents and children is anticipated. Close to a third of the young obese population will live predominantly in North Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean by 2050.
Over half of the overweight or obese adults globally reside in only eight nations, which are China, India, the United States, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia, and Egypt.
In 2021, these eight nations accounted for over half the world's population of obese individuals, including India (108 million), China (402 million), the USA (172 million), Brazil (88 million), Russia (71 million), Mexico (58 million), Indonesia (52 million), and Egypt (41 million).
The percentage of the world's population that is obese increased from 929 million in 1990 to 2.6 billion in 2021, said a Lancet Medical Journal study using data from 204 nations to point to what it called one of the great health challenges of the century.
“The unprecedented global epidemic of overweight and obesity is a profound tragedy and a monumental societal failure,” Emmanuela Gakidou, from the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), said in a statement.
The study urged governments across the world to take action to control obesity.
"Much stronger political commitment is needed to transform diets within sustainable global food systems," she said.
Governments must also adopt strategies"that improve people's nutrition, physical activity and living environments, whether it's too much-processed food or not enough parks," Kerr said.
The possible reasons for the rising obesity epidemic are poor diet and sedentary lifestyles. However, the underlying causes “remain in doubt,” Thorkild Sorensen, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen, told AFP.
PM Narendra Modi highlighted the growing problem of obesity in India, especially among children during the 119th Episode of Mann Ki Baat and urged citizens to make small but significant changes in their daily diets.
Taking to X, the prime minister wrote, “I would like to nominate the following people to help strengthen the fight against obesity and spread awareness on reducing edible oil consumption in food. I also request them to nominate 10 people each so that our movement gets bigger.”
The prime minister has nominated Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, Bhojpuri singer-actor Nirahua, shooting champion Manu Bhaker, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah, actor R Madhavan, singer Shreya Ghoshal, actor Mohanlal and author-politician Sudha Murty.