Reply #46: 10/12/2007 -- India facing obesity epidemic: experts [View All]

[Freddie Stubbs]

Problem high among schoolchildren

HYDERABAD: Morbid obesity has acquired epidemic proportions in the country with 5 per cent of the population suffering from it.

This is only the tip of an iceberg and the incidence is growing, according to medical experts. Latest treatment protocols to combat obesity and other lifestyle diseases will be discussed by specialists from India, the United States and the United Kingdom at an international three-day CME beginning here on Friday. The meet to be inaugurated by Minister for Medical Education Galla Aruna will also focus on ‘Obesity, Heart, Hypertension, Diabetes and Lipids (OHHDL).

Talking to reporters here on Thursday, P. Naveen Chander Reddy and Nagarjun of Mediciti Hospitals, the organisers of the conference, said that recent study found that the problem of obesity was high among schoolchildren in Hyderabad. Lifestyle changes and intake of high calorie food were among the causes associated with morbid obesity.

They said that OHDDL diseases could cause serious log-term morbidity, disability and complications.

more: http://hindu.com./2007/10/12/stories/2007101260940600.htm