NEW DELHI: India’s battle against lifestyle diseases is intensifying, with the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) revealing a sharp rise in both obesity and high blood sugar levels among adults. Nearly one in three women and more than one in four men are now overweight or obese. The share of adults with elevated blood sugar has also climbed significantly since the previous survey.
Key Findings from NFHS-6
The survey found that 30.7% of women aged 15-49 years were overweight or obese, up from 24% in NFHS-5. Among men, the figure rose from 22.9% to 27.3%. At the same time, the proportion of women with high blood sugar levels or taking medication for diabetes increased from 13.5% to 17.8%, while the corresponding figure among men jumped from 15.6% to 20.9%.
Regional Hotspots
The rise is particularly pronounced in southern and coastal regions, with several states emerging as obesity and diabetes hotspots. Puducherry recorded the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity among women at 51.3%, meaning more than half of adult women are overweight or obese. It was followed by Lakshadweep (50.1%), Andhra Pradesh (47.9%), Sikkim (47.5%), and Kerala (46.7%).
Among men, the highest levels were reported from Andaman and Nicobar Islands (46.1%), Puducherry (45.9%), Goa (43.6%), Sikkim (42.6%), and Andhra Pradesh (41.5%).
Expert Insights
Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant in internal medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, linked the rise in obesity among women to hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, coupled with lower levels of physical activity. Among women, 28.9% in Kerala and 27.5% in Goa had high blood sugar levels or were taking medication to control diabetes, followed by Puducherry (26.7%), Tamil Nadu (25.2%), and West Bengal (22.7%). Among men, the figures were even higher, reaching 32.1% in Goa and 31.9% in Kerala. Puducherry (28.8%), West Bengal (26.8%), and Tamil Nadu (26.7%) also figured among the states with the highest prevalence of elevated blood sugar.
Public Health Concerns
Public health experts say the findings reflect a growing burden of non-communicable diseases linked to sedentary lifestyles, calorie-dense diets, reduced physical activity, and ageing populations.
About the Author: Anuja Jaiswal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, with an impressive 18-year career in narrative journalism. She specializes in health and heritage reporting, expertly simplifying complex health information to make it engaging and understandable for readers. Her deep dives into heritage topics are well-researched, resulting in captivating narratives that resonate with her audience. Over the years, she has worked in Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, and West Uttar Pradesh, gaining diverse on-ground experience that shapes her storytelling.
