India is staring at a strange problem: malnutrition among children has not gone away, but at the same time, there is an increasing burden of childhood obesity. Simply put, obesity happens when children eat and drink more calories than they burn off. The latest National Family Health Survey reported that 33 States and Union Territories in the country registered a spike in the number of overweight children. Changing lifestyles including diets, easy access to unhealthy food, a decrease in physical activity and perhaps and increase in screentime, may all be contributing factors to this. The problem is, doctors have said, that obesity in childhood can have long-term consequences on physical and mental health.
What is obesity challenge in India? What are the health problems it can cause long-term? How much does our diet play a role? And what can parents and communities do to reverse this trend?