AIIMS study highlights urgent need for coordinated action on childhood obesity

Indian Express

02-06-2025

A study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has sounded a warning on an escalating health emergency among school children in the national capital. Of nearly 4,000 students in the six-19 years age group surveyed across Delhi's public and private schools, 13.4 per cent were found to be obese, and 7.4 per cent suffering from hypertension. The data draws an even more sobering contrast when viewed through the lens of socioeconomic status — 24 per cent private-school students were classified as obese, compared to 4.5 per cent in government schools. Students in private-school were also found to be twice as likely to have elevated blood sugar and three times more likely to exhibit metabolic syndrome — a dangerous cluster of conditions that includes hypertension, abnormal cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Left unchecked, these significantly increase the risk of early-onset cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, psychological stress, and Type 2 diabetes.
The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (2016-18) had already shown that 15.35 per cent of school-age children and 16.18 per cent of adolescents in India are pre-diabetic. Together with the AIIMS study, the implications are troubling. Once grappling with malnutrition, India now faces a dual burden: For urban and affluent children, prosperity has paradoxically become a vector of poor health. Lancet's 2024 Global Burden of Disease Study reported that the number of obese children in India has ballooned from 0.4 million in 1990 to 12.5 million in 2022. This staggering increase is a fallout of rapid urbanisation, the ubiquity of high-calorie, nutrient-poor diet — often involving ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks masquerading as child friendly and healthy — surging screen time, and diminishing physical activity.
The AIIMS report signals that student health needs equal and immediate attention alongside academics. The CBSE's recent directive to set up sugar boards in affiliated schools to reinforce the dangers of excessive sugar consumption is a welcome move in that direction. Physical education must be made non-negotiable and junk food driven out of school canteens with the same urgency that was once reserved for tobacco. Parents must re-evaluate lifestyle choices at home. Policy, too, has a vital role. National guidelines on childhood obesity must move from paper to practice. A concerted public-health push that combines regulation, education, and community action to steer children toward healthier futures is vital to stem the crisis. Otherwise, India's demographic dividend stands to carry with it a long and costly health burden.