New Delhi: India is ready to betray the first standards of growth and development standards for children, while the Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR) has launched a study in Delhi, Pune and Bengalur to face the recent increase in childhood obesity, as well as malnutrition.
The initiative, entitled UNNATI (upgrade standards for nutrition, growth and evaluation of Indian children’s development), will monitor the physical and developmental milestones of healthy children to build India specific benchmarks.
The new standards that leave the World Health Organization (WHO) Graphs for Western populations will provide doctors and parents more accurate tools to identify and solve the double challenge of malnutrition and obesity in time, helping a healthier future for Indian children.
It is clear to check this step to check obesity in children. Global Lanceta’s analysis shows that the number of obese children and adolescents in the 5-19 age group, dramatically jumped out of 0.4 million in 1990 to 12.5 million in 2022 in India, causing childhood obesity to imminent public health crisis.
This growth makes child obesity the main problem because it is a key risk factor for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Alarming statistics emphasize the urgent need for a new approach.
To create much needed home standards, the ICMR has launched an extensive prospective cohort study. The study will monitor healthy children from birth and carefully collect data on their height and weight. It will also measure key neurodevelopmental milestones such as cognitive, motor and social skills of the child. With this project, the project creates a clear national scale of what represents healthy growth and development.
In addition to providing accurate tools for identification, new standards will inform national health policies and lead public nutrition programs.
Dr. Randhir Khurana, senior consultant, neonatology and pediatrics in the Hospital in the NOIDA Hospital, said that the use of international growth charts in India often creates gaps because these graphs have been developed on the basis of the Western population whose genetics, lifestyle and nutrition differ significantly from populations in India.
“Indian children usually have different body frames, growth speed and nutritional environment,” Dr. Khurana. “For example, catering patterns in India are more cereals and plant, with different approach to proteins compared to western foods.
He added that new tools and growth charts adapted to Indian children are essential because they represent a unique population profile and help doctors more precisely monitor growth. “This shift also ensures early detection of malnutrition or obesity and provides a culturally relevant scale for parents and pediatricians,” Dr. Khurana.
(Tagstotranslate) childhood obesity
