Rising Obesity Rates Challenge Health and Economy

Source: The post Rising Obesity Rates Challenge Health and Economy has been created, based on the article “India’s obesity problem” published in “Indian Express” on 10th March 2025.Rising Obesity Rates Challenge Health and Economy

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2- Governance-Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health

Context: The article discusses rising obesity rates globally and in India, highlighting the role of unhealthy diets. It emphasizes the need for better policies, local food systems, and treatment options, and mentions new drugs that might help but remain costly.

For detailed information on Obesity in India read this article here

What is the current state of obesity globally and in India?

1. In 2021, there were 211 crore overweight or obese people globally, making up 45% of the population.
2. Half of them lived in eight countries, including China (40.2 crore), India (18 crore), and the U.S. (17.2 crore).
3. By 2050, India could have 44 crore obese people, possibly surpassing China in some categories. 4. Obesity among children is rising rapidly, increasing by 244% in the last 30 years and predicted to rise by 121% in the next 30 years.

How is obesity defined and diagnosed?

1. Body Mass Index (BMI): Obesity is defined using BMI, which is a person’s weight divided by height squared.
2. Categories: A BMI above 30 is obese, while 25-30 is overweight.
3. Children’s Criteria: For ages 5 to 17, weight-for-age and gender standards are used.
4. New Definitions: The Lancet suggests “clinical obesity” and “preclinical obesity,” using BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio. A high BMI with no symptoms is “preclinical obesity.”

What are the health and economic impacts of rising obesity?

1. Health Impacts:

• Obesity increases the risk of chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes, heart diseases, and certain cancers.
• Obese individuals face higher risks of severe infections, highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Early onset of lifestyle diseases among obese children is a growing concern.

2. Economic Impacts:

• Treating obesity-related conditions is costly, especially in aging populations with lower birth rates.
• Obese patients often require more elective surgeries and have suboptimal outcomes, leading to higher healthcare costs.
• Managing chronic conditions related to obesity in older adults demands significant financial resources, increasing healthcare spending.

What is causing the obesity epidemic?

1. Unhealthy Diets: Shift to calorie-dense foods high in sugar, salt, and fats is a key cause.
2. Corporate Influence: Multinational companies target low and middle-income countries with lax regulations.
3. Rising Processed Food Sales: Between 2009 and 2019, India, Cameroon, and Vietnam saw the highest growth in ultra-processed food sales.
4. Local Food Systems Affected: Traditional food supply systems are being replaced by “big food distribution” networks.
5. Economic Factors: Growing populations and rising per-capita incomes in low-income countries attract more processed food sales.

What can be done to combat obesity?

1. Solutions include protecting local food systems, taxing unhealthy products like sweetened drinks, and investing in obesity treatment.
2. National policies are needed, but only 40% of countries, and just 10% of low and middle-income nations, have them.
3. New drugs like semaglutide and terzapatide show promise but are expensive. Cheaper generic versions might improve access in the future.

Question for practice:

Examine the factors contributing to the rising obesity rates globally and in India, as discussed in the article.