More than 35% of Delhi teens are obese, reveals survey

New Delhi: India ranks third on the list of most obese nations after US and China, according to WHO statistics.

It is safe to say that obesity is slowly becoming an epidemic in the country and the younger population in particular is falling victim to it.

Zeroing in on Delhi, a survey revealed that courtesy a sedentary lifestyle, over 35 percent of teenagers in the national capital are obese or overweight, a condition which majorly impacts their emotional wellness, confidence and self-esteem, and paves way for depression and other illness.

The survey, titled "Juvenile Obesity", was conducted on over 1,000 children and showed that 38.5 percent of children aged 5 to 9 years were obese, while in the 10 to 14 years age group, 40.1 percent were overweight.

As a result of obesity, 29.7 percent children experienced a dip in "happiness level", 28.3 percent became "less social" and 20.2 percent become "more irritable".

Obesity not only hampered their physical life, but also productivity, self-esteem as well as emotional wellness of children and adolescents, the survey noted.

The rise in obesity among the teenagers can be attributed to various lifestyle choices such as unhealthy eating habits, poor physical activity levels, less sleeping habits as well as increasing screen time, peer pressure, among others.

"They (the children) do not burn any calories after their eating late at night as they sleep after that and at the same time during the day, they are lethargic thus burning very less calories in the day," Pradeep Chowbey, Chairman of the Department of Minimal Access, Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at Max Healthcare, said in a statement on Friday.

"Moreover, the increasing screen time in children these days causes a lot of emotional and hormonal changes. Stress hormones and steroids production is increased in the body which in turn increases the appetite thus contributing to weight gain," he added.

Moreover, over 26 percent obese children reported experiencing bullying, while 25 percent suffered from body shaming.

The stress caused by these pressures, causes stress and impacts a teenagers' confidence level and social life, which in turn causes binge eating.

The survey showed that 84.7 percent of teenagers consume junk, aerated drinks or chocolates two to three times a week.

Obesity is a step toward long term health problems. It can negatively affect most of your organs – especially the heart – make you vulnerable to diabetes, joint pains, arthritis, make it difficult for women during pregnancy – basically, impact your overall health.

(With IANS inputs)