All adults overweight in every 5th Indian household: Study
NEW DELHI: In nearly two out of 10 households, all adults are either overweight or obese, a new study has found.
Overweight is defined as a body weight higher than what is considered healthy for a given height, commonly assessed using Body Mass Index (BMI).
A person is considered overweight if his or her BMI is between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2.
On the other hand, obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 or greater.
Researchers from ICMR-National Institute for Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), TERI School of Advanced Studies and Symbiosis International analysed data from the fifth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21) to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in over 6 lakh households.
They found nearly 20% of the households had all adult members classified as overweight while 10% of households had all adults classified as obese.
In states such as Manipur, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, over 30% of households had all adults overweight, according to the study, which was published in Public Health Journal. In Tamil Nadu and Punjab, two out of five households had all adults classified as obese.
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The proportion of households with all obese members was nearly twice as high in urban areas compared to rural regions.
A weighty issue
The study reveals that families are literally 'gaining weight together'. When one family member is overweight or obese, others are significantly more likely to be obese/overweight as well, said the lead researcher from ICMR-NICPR Prashant Kumar Singh. "This clustering pattern underscores the urgent need for family-centred approaches to obesity prevention rather than individual-focused interventions."
Director ICMR-NICPR Shalini Singh, said, "The household clustering of obesity and overweight represents a paradigm shift in how we understand obesity. This study tells us the family unit is the epicentre of this health challenge."
The study warned that individuals in these family obesity clusters face heightened risk of developing multiple non-communicable diseases. It is already known that obesity serves as a marker for poor cardio-metabolic health and is known to be a gateway to numerous chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and heart failure. It is also linked to 13 types of cancer.
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