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Obesity Crisis In India
Indiamayhavemorethan440 millionoverweightandobeseindividualsby 2050,secondtoChina, while the US, Brazil and Nigeria willfollowat number three,fourandfive, respectively.
Theresearchanticipatesthatalmost60 per cent ofthe world'sadults and a third of all childrenwill be overweight or obese by 2050 ifgovernmentsfailtotakeaction, a studystated.
It isprojectedthatcloseto3.8 billion adults will beobeseoroverweightin 15 years, while 21%risein obesity amongadolescentsandchildrenisanticipated.Closetoa third of theyoungobesepopulation willlivepredominantlyin North Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean by 2050.
Overhalf of the overweight or obese adultsgloballyresideinonlyeightnations,whichareChina, India, the United States, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia, and Egypt.
In 2021, these eightnationsaccountedforoverhalfthe world'spopulation ofobeseindividuals, 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).
Thepercentageoftheworld'spopulationthatisobeseincreasedfrom 929 million in 1990 to 2.6 billion in 2021,saidaLancet Medical Journalstudyusingdata from 204nationstopointtowhat itcalledone 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.
PMNarendra Modihighlighted 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.