New Delhi: The worrying growing cases of childhood obesity in India have asked the Center of States and Trade Union to reduce added sugar, salt, preservatives, colors and other synthetic units in meals provided in government schools and Anganwadi centers, the official said.
Anganwadi is a rural center of care for children that founded the government in 1975 and is tasked with providing basic health services in villages and fighting hunger and malnutrition.
The Directive of the Ministry of Development of Women and Children is aimed at solving the growing obesity of India, especially in young children.
The Directive of the Ministry of Women and Children of the Union assumes importance as 118 million children receive free lunch in noon food or PM Poshana (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman), while the Anganwadi Center will satisfy approximately 106.9 million income, including pregnant women and lacts and mothers.
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Government instructions to reduce the use of salt, sugar and synthetic colors in food come against the background of the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) that one of the five Indian urban adults is overweight or obese.
High sugar and salt consumption can potentially lead to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney problems.
According to a letter of 11 July issued by the Ministry of Women and Children’s Development of All States and Trade Union Territories, Poshan Tracker’s data can emphasize that 6% of children under five years at Anganwadi centers are overweight or obese. The letter emphasized the support of a healthy lifestyle and diet practices, with a special focus on allocation for domestic rations (TH) and hot cooked meals (HCM) provided in Anganwadis.
Mint saw a copy of the letter.
Children aged 0-6 years in 2021 amounted to 161 million, and according to data from October 2024 Poshan Tracker Portal, 88.2 million children in Parliament were registered in December last year.
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The Directive is part of the Indian struggle against obesity, which includes the plan of the Center for the introduction of a nationwide screening program for measurement of obesity among school children, which captures the ratio of the passport to the hit (WHH) and their body weight index (BMI), as mentioned earlier.
“The government is very serious about obesity.
New consulting recommends that states and UT are targeted programs of information for officers, field officials, Anganwadi workers and a wider community. The key focus of these programs should be to reduce the consumption of edible oils in the daily diet, which are coped with the instructions for the Diet for Indians, 2024, issued by the National Institute of Nutrition.
The Ministry of the WCD also proposed state governments that launched campaigns for all levels to strengthen the objectives of the National Program for the Prevention and Control of non-transferable diseases (NP-NCD).
Questions sent by the Ministry of the Ministry for the Development of Women and Children remained unanswered until the press period.
The serious consequences of increasing obesity
Dr. Tymya Swaminathan, a former CEO of the Indian Council for Medical Research and former head of a Scientist in the World Health Organization, said that the main driving force of obesity and insufficient nutrition is the lack of accessible access to a healthy and nutritious diet, along with lack of awareness of nutritional requirements at different ages.
“The literacy of nutrition is very low, with most of the population to mislead what is healthy and what is not. We have also lost a large part of our agro biodiversity in the last few decades and ultra -processed food replaces freshly cooked balanced food. Meals, PM Poshan Abhiyan, ”she said.
Dr. Swaminathan also pointed out that the budget allocation for these programs would have to increase to allow better dietary diet.
Dr. Mohsin Wali, head of medical medical consultant in Sir Ganga Ram in Nový Delhi, points to the worrying trend: a significant part of the population – between 20% and 30% – is not perceived as an overweight or obese problem. He simply sees it as normal, he said.
The Covid-19 pandemic has deteriorated and increased by at least 7%obesity. “Moving to work from home, associated with increased consumption of high oil and sugar food, played a major role. Obesity control is impossible without regular exercise, yoga and training,” he added.
It also emphasizes the rise of “cloud kitchens” that is popular in children, but often offer food with a high content of trans -uks. In increasing school concerns, the school has reduced outdoor activities and children are increasingly glued to the screens, leading to a decline in physical activity.
“Increasing stress levels in children and adults also contribute to a dangerous cycle because obesity is directly associated with serious health problems such as diabetes, increased cardiovascular risk, sudden cardiac death and greasy liver disease,” he said.
Dr. Wali warns that if this trend is not under control, the current generation of children will face the future of widespread obesity and related health crises as adults.
(Tagstotranslate) child obesity
