Relation between Changing Lifestyle and Adolescent Obesity in India: A Community Based Study among School Children
Abstract
Obesity is the major global nutrition concern. Modernisation and urbanisation have led to changes in dietary and lifestyle factors which are contributing to the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity.
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Introduction
Obesity/Overweight in children and adolescents is gradually becoming a public health problem in India as our country is going through economic and nutrition transition which are associated with change in dietary habits, decreased physical activity and increased prevalence of obesity1 . Obesity can be seen as the first wave of a defined cluster of non communicable diseases called “New World Syndrome” creating an enormous socioeconomic and public health burden in poorer countries 2 . Eating out which was quiet a rare thing earlier have become a trend now- a – days. Moreover, widespread accessibility of computer, electronic games and cable network with satellite television has modified childhood life style in last decade. Due to increasing modernisation, outdoor games have been replaced by computers, television and mobile games. Obesity/Overweight increases mortality and morbidity as it is positive risk factor for development of Hypertension, Non Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Gall bladder diseases, Coronary artery disease, osteoarthritis, Gout, Dyslipidemia, Sleep apnoea, Psychological stress, Cancer (e.g. Breast, endometrial, colon).3 More than 50% of obese children become obese adults and the complications of adult obesity are made worse if obesity begins in childhood.4 Also; obesity in adults is harder to treat than in children, 3 so, effective prevention of adult obesity requires prevention and management of childhood obesity.5
Conclusion
More than one fifth of the school children were overweight/obese in the present study. Watching television during meals, frequency of main meals outside home per month, frequency of snacks outside home per week and duration of television/computer watching per day were found significant predictors of overweight/obesity.
Encouraging family meals in which parents and children eat together along with removing television and computer screens from children’s primary sleeping area and reducing daily screen time to less than two hours should be practiced. School health programmes including periodic screening of children for overweight in schools followed by counseling of students, parents and teachers through IEC activities regarding possible adverse effect of overweight/obesity and lifestyle modification like avoidance of junk foods and regular participation in physical activities and outdoor games in schools, with compulsory hours of sports and games and organising games tournaments should be implemented.