Around 80.7 pc of people in Delhi-NCR region are obese or overweight though 78.5 pc continue to consider themselves as having normal weight, according to a new survey.
The survey conducted by Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket on at least 1,000 respondents about their knowledge on obesity and bariatric surgery found that only 18.5 pc were aware that obesity can trigger diabetes.
While 70 pc of the people didn’t know that hypertension is associated with obesity, only 5 pc were aware that obesity can cause sleep apnea.
The study also suggested that while 93.5 pc men and 76.8 pc women did not know about kidney problems associated with obesity, 80.3 pc men and 82.1 pc women didn’t know about obesity leading to diabetes.
“Obesity is a worrying health issue that has been plaguing Indians for some time now. However, it continues to rise in epidemic proportions in the country even today. It is not restricted to a certain class specifically. It is prevalent in both rural and urban folk”,” Pradeep Chowbey, Executive Vice-Chairman Max Healthcare said.
While 82.4 pc of the respondents said that they would be concerned (30.8 pc would be extremely concerned) if they were overweight or obese, 72.4 pc said that they are somewhat aware of the concept of BMI (body mass index).
According to the study, only 31.2 pc do get annual health check-ups and 100 pc respondents said that they opt for jogging, diet, gym regime to keep their weight in check.
“Obesity not only affects one’s physical appearance but also mental and physical health. It can result in grave consequences like heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems, kidney problems, sleep apnea,” Chowbey added.
The survey result also stated that 28.8 pc participants were unaware about the bariatric surgery an option for weight-loss while only 11.2 pc were aware about bariatric surgery.
Out of all only 10.2 pc of the participants said that they will consider surgical procedures to fight obesity.
(With agency input)
