{"id":374440,"date":"2026-10-24T18:36:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=374440"},"modified":"2026-10-24T18:36:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:06:24","slug":"obesity-in-india-reasons-impacts-explained-pointwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/obesity-in-india-reasons-impacts-explained-pointwise\/","title":{"rendered":"Obesity in India &#8211; Reasons &#038; Impacts &#8211; Explained Pointwise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-374441\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Obesity-in-India_-Reasons-and-Impacts.png?resize=750%2C500&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Obesity in India\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Obesity-in-India_-Reasons-and-Impacts.png?w=1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Obesity-in-India_-Reasons-and-Impacts.png?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Obesity-in-India_-Reasons-and-Impacts.png?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Obesity-in-India_-Reasons-and-Impacts.png?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Childhood obesity is on the rise globally as a result of a shift towards the intake of foods that are high in fat &amp; sugars and less energy-intensive recreational activities &amp; transportation.<br \/>\nAccording to the World Obesity Atlas, more than 40mn children in India are either overweight or obese. Hence, India now ranks second globally in the number of overweight &amp; obese children. This trend is driven by sedentary lifestyles, urbanisation, and greater access to processed foods. Also, unlike the developed countries where the dietary transition unfolded gradually over several decades, in India much of this shift has occurred in last 15 years.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_285760\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-285760\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-285760 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-Coloum-Paragraph-Mind-Map-300-x-297-mm-3.png?resize=750%2C743&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Obesity In India\" width=\"750\" height=\"743\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-Coloum-Paragraph-Mind-Map-300-x-297-mm-3.png?resize=1024%2C1014&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-Coloum-Paragraph-Mind-Map-300-x-297-mm-3.png?resize=300%2C297&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-Coloum-Paragraph-Mind-Map-300-x-297-mm-3.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-Coloum-Paragraph-Mind-Map-300-x-297-mm-3.png?resize=768%2C760&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-Coloum-Paragraph-Mind-Map-300-x-297-mm-3.png?resize=1536%2C1521&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-Coloum-Paragraph-Mind-Map-300-x-297-mm-3.png?resize=1568%2C1552&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/3-Coloum-Paragraph-Mind-Map-300-x-297-mm-3.png?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-285760\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Created By Forum IAS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%; text-align: center;\"><strong>Table of Contents<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"#toc1\">What is obesity?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#h10\">How is obesity measured?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc2\">What are the reasons behind the increasing obesity in India?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc3\">What are the negative impacts of Obesity in India?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc4\">What are the government initiatives to reduce the obesity burden?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc5\">What should be the way forward?<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a id=\"toc1\"><\/a>What is obesity?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), obesity is defined as an <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">abnormal<\/span> or <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">excessive accumulation of fat<\/span> that poses health risks.<\/li>\n<li>It is a medical condition that increases the risk of other health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain cancers.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"citation-27\">The most common screening tool for obesity is the <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"2\" data-index-in-node=\"50\"><span class=\"citation-27\">Body Mass Index (BMI)<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-27 citation-end-27\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\"><a id=\"h10\"><\/a>How is obesity measured?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #f1f5a9;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 22.7025%;\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>Adults over the age of 20 years<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 77.2975%;\">\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>Obese: <\/strong>Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 kg\/m2 or more.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong>Underweight:<\/strong>\u00a0Body Mass Index (BMI) is less than 18 kg\/m2.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 22.7025%;\"><strong>School-aged children and adolescents between 5 and 19 years<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 77.2975%;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Obese-<\/strong> BMI is two standard deviations more than the mean.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Underweight-<\/strong> BMI is two standard deviations below the mean.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>NOTE:<\/strong>\u00a0BMI is a person\u2019s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Data regarding obesity in India:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>More obese women as compared to men:<\/strong>\u00a0Obesity in women has increased from <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">1.2%<\/span> in 1990 to <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">9.8%<\/span> in 2022. There are <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">44 million women<\/span> living with obesity in 2022.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Increase in Men Obesity:<\/strong>\u00a0Obesity in men has increased by <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">4.9%<\/span> from 1990 to 2022. There are <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">26 million men<\/span> living with obesity in 2022.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Significant Increase In Childhood Obesity:<\/strong>\u00a0The number of obese boys has increased from <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">0.2 million in 1990<\/span> to <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">7.3 million in 2022<\/span>. The number of obese girls has increased from <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">0.2 million in 1990<\/span> to <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">5.2 million in 2022<\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #333333; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\">Data regarding underweight in India:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Underweight Men and Women:<\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">13.7% of women<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">12.5% of men<\/span> were underweight.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Underweight Children:<\/strong>\u00a0India has the highest number of underweight girls in the world. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">20.3% of Indian girls are underweight<\/span>. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">21.7% of Indian boys are underweight<\/span>, which is the second highest in the world.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">Read More- <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/lancet-study-on-global-obesity-rates\/#gsc.tab=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lancet study on Global Obesity rates<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a id=\"toc2\"><\/a>What are the reasons behind the increasing obesity in India?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Unhealthy Lifestyle: <\/strong>Lack of healthy lifestyle is a major reason for increasing obesity rates in India. <strong>For e.g. <\/strong>Lack of physical activities such as walks or gyms, lack of proper sleep.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lack of proper diet:<\/strong>\u00a0Cheaper and easily available junk food has replaced the nutritious food in the dietary intakes of Indian population. <strong>For e.g. <\/strong>According to recent <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/all-india-household-consumption-expenditure-survey-2022-23-explained-pointwise\/#gsc.tab=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Household Consumption Survey<\/a>, Indians are spending less on cereals and pulses and more on beverages, refreshments and processed food.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Increased income and urbanization:<\/strong>\u00a0Increased income levels have led to a rise in the consumption of foods high in fats, sugar and low physical activity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lack of awareness:<\/strong>\u00a0There has been a general lack of awareness about healthy eating habits and the guidelines issued by FSSAI. Since Health is a state subject, there have been implementation challenges in ensuring proper implementation of FSSAI guidelines.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Growth of Ultra-processed food industry:<\/strong>\u00a0Ultra processed food industry has boomed in India, leading to increased intake of transfat in India. According to a joint study conducted by WHO and ICRIER, India\u2019s ultra-processed food industry has grown at a CAGR of 13.37% in terms of retail sales value between 2011 and 2021.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Obesity no longer dependent on economic capacity:<\/strong>\u00a0Obesity is no longer the disease of the rich in India. Eating junk food is cheaper and easier. <strong>For e.g.<\/strong>\u00a0The cost of samosas and pakoras available at roadside shacks is less than fruit and vegetables.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Generational burden<\/strong>: According to a UNICEF Survey, the nutritional deficits among children are often a carryover of the poor dietary habits of their mothers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a id=\"toc3\"><\/a>What are the negative impacts of Obesity in India?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Individual Health Implications:<\/strong>\u00a0Overweight adults and children are at greater risk for non-communicable diseases. According to WHO, excess bodyweight during childhood significantly increases the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes &amp; cardiovascular diseases later in life.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Improper development of Children in formative years: <\/strong>Obesity in children results in stunted physical and cognitive development.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Psychosocial Impact: <\/strong>Obese Individuals face psychosocial challenges like, body image issues and mental health concerns due to societal stigmas associated with weight.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Economic Burden:<\/strong>\u00a0Obesity increases the economic burden due to productivity losses on account of decreased work efficiency and absenteeism.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Public Health Challenges: <\/strong>Obesity is a major reason behind the growth of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases etc. This has increased strain on the fragile public healthcare system in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Social Inequality and Disparities:<\/strong>\u00a0Obesity perpetuates a cycle of health challenges and economic disadvantages among the vulnerable sections, exacerbates existing socio-economic disparities. Women are disproportionately affected by obesity, facing challenges related to reproductive health, maternal health, and overall well-being.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\"><a id=\"toc4\"><\/a>What are the government initiatives to reduce the obesity burden?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The government has launched multiple initiatives which focusses on reducing obesity, and associated NCDs.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke (NPCDCS):<\/strong>\u00a0It is being implemented under the National Health Mission. It aims to screen and ensure early interventions to check the obesity-related risk factors from becoming complicated.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Ayushman Bharat Health Wellness Centre scheme: <\/strong>Preventive aspect of hypertension and NCDs is being strengthened under Comprehensive Primary Health Care by promotion of wellness activities and targeted communication at the community level.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Eat Right Movement: <\/strong>The Eat Right India movement is an initiative of the Government of India and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to transform the country&#8217;s food system in order to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>FSSAI limits for transfats: <\/strong>FSSAI has issued guidelines limiting trans fatty acids in oils and fats to be not more than 2% by weight.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020:<\/strong>\u00a0It mandates that labels should mention food allergens, nutritional information including fat, trans fat, salt, sugar, added sugar etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"blue-h2-box\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a id=\"toc5\"><\/a>What should be the way forward?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Awareness about the grave dangers of obesity: <\/strong>The medical community must create awareness about the NPCDCS guidelines, which recommend annual screening for excess weight in children as young as two to six years old.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Improving the access to nutrient rich food:<\/strong>\u00a0The access of vulnerable sections to healthy nutrition must be enhanced by measures such as targeted cash transfers, vouchers for healthy foods, free healthy school meals, and primary care-based nutritional interventions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Initiatives to reduce obesity among adults:<\/strong>\u00a0Yoga days can be fixed in a week in offices, welfare societies. Also, under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, cleaning of parks and other spaces can be promoted, so that adults can come for exercise.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Initiatives to reduce obesity among Children: <\/strong>Strict implementation of RTE act norms, by implementing mandatory minimum grounds size and other sports infrastructure in schools. Construction of parks and open spaces in colonies, so that children can play outside rather than remaining busy with indoor activity like video games, computer games.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Disincentivising the ultra-processed food industry:<\/strong>\u00a0Higher taxes on unhealthy processed and junk food, and front-of-pack nutrition labelling to guide consumers must be implemented.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/opinion\/columns\/in-battling-childhood-obesity-government-policy-may-just-tip-the-scales-10929205\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indian Express<\/a><br \/>\nUPSC Syllabus- GS 2- Government interventions for Health<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Childhood obesity is on the rise globally as a result of a shift towards the intake of foods that are high in fat &amp; sugars and less energy-intensive recreational activities &amp; transportation. According to the World Obesity Atlas, more than 40mn children in India are either overweight or obese. Hence, India now ranks second globally&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/obesity-in-india-reasons-impacts-explained-pointwise\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Obesity in India &#8211; Reasons &#038; Impacts &#8211; Explained Pointwise<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10391,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-374440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-pm","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10391"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374440\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}