Undernourished and overweight: Telangana youth face dual health burden of malnutrition
Youth in Telangana face a growing double burden of malnutrition, where underweight and overweight conditions coexist, alongside a rising risk of cardiovascular diseases. The finding was part of the seventh round of the Young Lives longitudinal study released on Friday (May 30, 2025). It also pointed at poor dietary diversity, gender disparities in health risks, and persistent rural-urban inequalities.
The study, which has tracked two cohorts of children since 2002 when they were aged 1 (younger cohort) and 8 years (older cohort) respectively, also found poor dietary diversity among youth. It provides an overview of key nutrition, health and well-being indicators comparing the younger cohort at age 22 with the older cohort at the same age in 2016, alongside tracking the younger cohort's progress from age 12 to 22.
The sample includes 948 participants from Telangana alone — 641 from the younger cohort and 307 from the older cohort, representing diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Many relied heavily on grains and carbohydrates while consuming fewer fruits, vegetables, and protein-rich foods.
However, some improvement was seen, particularly among women from the young cohort. By 2023, 40% of 22-year-old women consumed more than five food groups daily, compared to just 18% in the older cohort at the same age in 2016. The improvement was higher among women (22.5%) than men (7.8%).
Underweight prevalence
According to Dr. P. Prudhvikar Reddy, one of the speakers at the launch event at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) in Hyderabad's Begumpet on Friday, underweight prevalence remains higher among participants from socially marginalised groups and rural areas, while obesity was more prevalent among wealthier and urban participants. 'At age 22, we saw more underweight participants among Scheduled Castes (SCs), rural youth, and those with mothers who had lower levels of education,' he said.
The reasons
Dr. Reddy attributed these trends to changing diets, high consumption of fatty foods, and reduced physical activity. Cardiovascular risk also rose - 22.7% of women were found to be at high risk, compared to just 8.5% of men.
Women and Child Welfare Minister D. Anasuya Seethakka called the malnutrition levels in tribal and rural areas 'deeply concerning' and said these areas would be prioritised. 'As someone from a tribal background, I understand these challenges. Diets in rural areas are healthier than today's hybrid food consumption in cities. We need targeted, data-driven interventions,' she said.
Well-being scores showed modest improvement, with the younger cohort rating their subjective well-being at 5.1 on a 1–9 scale, slightly higher than the older cohort's 4.9. Mental health indicators were mixed: 15% of the younger cohort reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, lower than the 21% (anxiety) and 17% (depression) among the older cohort. Stress levels remained high, with little progress - 68% among the younger cohort versus 71% in the older group.
Dr. Reddy called for broader public health measures that go beyond food subsidies and address early-life nutritional inequalities. He stressed the need for ensuring access to healthy, diverse diets and promoting active lifestyles to counter emerging health risks.
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