Kerala: Our kids now top in obesity

Kochi: Doctors agree in unison that obesity among children is rapidly rising in Kerala and according to estimates in the last National Health Survey report, Kerala stands second in the country after Punjab in child obesity.

According to another study by the state health department in 1,500 schools across the state, one in two students face lifestyle diseases. The reasons cited include the change in lifestyle, eating pattern, activity pattern and the kind of food being taken. Experts say it’s high time planners and parents addressed the issue before it gets worse.

“One major reason for the rise in obesity and overweight among children is that they don’t take food at the right time. The postponing of meals results in excess food being taken as the craving will be more when it gets delayed,” says Dr Grinto Davy Chirakkekaran, who runs lifestyle correction clinic, Escaso.

“The different timings of city schools is result in delayed meals. Some of them end classes at 2 pm or 2.30 pm and students are forced to take late meals. They may skip breakfast as they have to go early and take junk food during class breaks”.

Dr Chirakkekaran said the state has witnessed higher incidence of obesity in boys compared to the girls. “Unhealthy food has become much more accessible following India's continued integration with global food markets. This, combined with rising income among the burgeoning middle class, is swelling the average calorie intake per individual,” he said.

According to endocrinologist Dr Harish Kumar of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, obese children have become prone to heart attacks, hypertension and diabetes.

“The fat gets deposited in the arteries in the absence of physical activities leading to all these diseases. These were diseases that used to develop from the age of 25. Now they are setting in at the age of six or seven. The hormonal changes after the age of 10 for adolescence also get delayed due to obesity,” he said.

Dr M. Narayanan, president of Kochi chapter of Indian Association of Paediatrics, said the Type II diabetes which was earlier manifested in adults are now seen in children also due to obesity.

“We have launched a programme called DIET to spread awareness on this in the state. ‘D’ stands for diet; ‘I’ for interaction and immunisation; ‘E’ for exercise, and ‘T’ for TV and social networking. We are conducting classes in schools to spread awareness on healthy living,” he said.

Dr P. Jayaprakash, another eminent endocrinologist in Kochi, says shrinking of open spaces in Kochi is resulting in children not being able to play and work out.

“The planners need to focus on this aspect. We have changed from rural living to urban living which is resulting in this. Due to obesity, cholesterol and hypertension which were earlier seen in adults are rampant among schoolchildren. Working parents too have little time to cook food for their wards and junk foods make easy entry,” he said.

According to Dr Chirakkekaran, the habit of present day students spending more time before computers and television sets and then having little workout is another reason for large-scale obesity.

“Some schools skip PT period which also contributes to obesity,” he said. Studies say obese children face at least 50 per cent higher prospects of developing lifestyle diseases including coronary problems.