November 14 is celebrated as Children’s Day to mark the birthday of our first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and his love for children. But this date is also commemorated as World Diabetes Day.
There are an estimated 77 million people with diabetes in India. Which means that one in every 10 adults in India has diabetes. Half of those who have high blood sugar levels are unaware. Even among those who have been diagnosed with diabetes, only half of them have their blood sugar level under control. India is known as the Diabetes Capital of the world. Obesity is very high in the country and also abnormally high heart attacks. It is medically proven that all are interconnected with each other.
On World Diabetes Day, November 14, which is also celebrated Children’s Day, it is important to understand the impact of Type-2 diabetes in children.
Diabetes occurs when sugar builds up in the bloodstream. This is because the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes may be caused by a combination of genetic or environmental factors. Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake). Type-2 diabetes is often linked to being overweight or inactive, or having a family history.
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 conducted in 2019-21, the household survey of health and social indicators by the government, found that 3.4% of children under five are now overweight compared with 2.1% in 2015-16.
On the face of it, the numbers seem small, but even a very small percentage can mean very large numbers because of the size of the Indian population. According to UNICEF’s World Obesity Atlas for 2022, India is predicted to have more than 27 million obese children, representing one in 10 children globally, by 2030.
It ranks 99th on the list of 183 countries in terms of preparedness to deal with obesity and the economic impact of overweight and obesity is expected to rise from $23bn in 2109 to a whopping $479bn by 2060.
We are staring at a massive problem of childhood obesity in India, which is caused by the mostly sedentary lifestyle of children. Due to this, obesity spills over to adulthood. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), too much body fat increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, including 13 types of cancer, Type-2 diabetes, heart problems and lung conditions, leading to premature deaths. Last year, obesity accounted for 2.8 million deaths globally.
India is already amongst the top five countries in terms of adult obesity in the past few years. One estimate in 2016 put 135 million Indians as overweight or obese and their numbers are growing.
It is an irony that India has a massive population of under-nourished and over-nourished population at the same time. Overweight and obesity are results of overnutrition, but that doesn’t mean that one’s getting all the nutrition they need.
If children are given balanced meals – that include carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fruits and vegetables, then it would prevent both undernutrition and overnutrition.
Parents should provide their children with a balanced diet, ensure daily physical activity, limit their screen time, stop them from eating in-between meals, and limit their consumption of junk foods, chocolate, aerated drinks, packed juices, and so on.
Children should be encouraged to have physical activity. The overall decline in physical activity has had devastating impacts on our metabolism. Do not keep sitting or lie down after any meal. Go for a walk. The recent scientific evidence suggests even five minutes of walk after any meal provides some protection.
Reduce stress; sleep on time and for a minimum of seven hours; stop smoking; get early treatment for any pre-existing or co-morbid health condition such as hypertension.
Controlling Type-2 diabetes is in our hands. It is the collective responsibility of the parents and schools that children have healthy food and indulge in substantial physical activities. Let’s not burden our children with so much study pressure that they don’t get the time to play outdoor games. The onus actually lies on our Education Ministry. It has to reframe our school curriculum in such a way that there is equal distribution between studies and games.
Exhaustive syllabus from an early age, multiple tuition classes and burden of assessment tests are leaving the kids with no time to play. Consequently, children are getting fatter, physically and mentally unwell. It is a known fact that physical activity is a great stress buster. Since suicide rate is very high in the children, especially adolescents, reduction of academic burden will do a huge service to our future generations.
Choice is ours. Do we want a sick society or a healthy and flourishing society?
