India has second highest number of obese children in world

•  According to a new study published in “New England Journal of Medicine”, India has the second highest number of obese children in the world after China
• This study found that 14.4 million kids in the country have excess weight.

Highlights of the report:

• Globally, over two billion children and adults suffer from health problems related to being overweight or obese, and an increasing percentage of people die from these health conditions, researchers said.
• They are dying even though they are not technically considered obese.
• Of the four million deaths attributed to excess body weight in 2015, nearly 40 per cent occurred among people whose body mass index (BMI) fell below the threshold considered "obese."
• Among the 20 most populous countries, the highest level of obesity among children and young adults was in the US at nearly 13 per cent; Egypt topped the list for adult obesity at about 35 per cent. Lowest rates were in Bangladesh and Vietnam, respectively, at 1 per cent.
• China with 15.3 million and India with 14.4 million had the highest numbers of obese children; the US with 79.4 million and China with 57.3 million had the highest numbers of obese adults in 2015.
• People who shrug off weight gain do so at their own risk - risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and other life-threatening conditions.
• This study spans 195 countries and territories from 1980 through 2015, includes analyses of other studies on the effects of excess weight and potential links between high BMI and cancers of the oesophagus, colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder and biliary tract, pancreas, breast, uterus, ovary, kidney, and thyroid, as well as leukaemia.
• In 2015, excess weight affected 2.2 billion children and adults worldwide, or 30 per cent of all people.
• This includes nearly 108 million children and more than 600 million adults with BMI exceeding 30, the threshold for obesity, according to the study.
• The prevalence of obesity has doubled since 1980 in more than 70 countries and has continuously increased in most other nations.
• Although the prevalence of obesity among children has been lower than among adults, the rate of increase in childhood obesity in many countries was greater than that of adults.
• Excess body weight is one of the most challenging public health problems of our time, affecting nearly one in every three people

By: Vishal