Chennai: Obesity levels among men and women in the urban and rural areas of the state have seen an increase of over ten percentage points over the last decade, as recorded by the National Family Health Survery-4 (NFHS4).
According to the NFHS4, in Tamil Nadu, in the 15- 49 years age group, 30.9% of women and 28.2% of men are obese. These figures are a steep increase over the NFHS3 figures of survey for 2005-2006 periods, which were 20.9 in women and 14.5 in men.
According to health specialists, sedentary lifestyles in conjunction with the lack of physical activities in their daily regimen and mindless consumption of food items are the major reasons for increased obesity levels.
“We don’t do much to burn away calories. Also, the high intake of junk food and heavy snacking are unhealthy habits creeping into all lifestyles. Because of hectic schedules, the priorities have shifted from cooking healthy food and eating it, instead we order online or eat from outside.
Healthy eating habits and physical exercise should be included in daily lives,” said Dr Bhuvaneshwari Shankar, Group Chief Dietitian, Apollo Hospitals.
“There is a need to move to healthier foods like puffed rice, bajra, jowar and pulses. Even the healthy foods like idli and dosa sold in restaurants won’t be as healthy as those made at home due to the ingredients used. There should be clear and conscious choices that should be made by eating home-cooked healthy food and indulging in more physical exercises,” said Dr Dharini Krishanan.
