What's the Issue?
A recent study found that 84% of IT workers in Hyderabad have fatty liver disease, and 71% are obese. This shows that many urban Indians, especially in tech jobs, are facing serious health problems.
What’s Causing It?
- Sitting too much: Long hours at desks.
- Unhealthy snacks: Companies give free snacks that are not nutritious.
- Stress and lack of sleep.
- Eating too much salty and processed food.
The Bigger Picture:
India has a double health problem:
- In some areas, people don’t get enough to eat (undernutrition).
- In cities, more and more people are eating too much or eating unhealthily (overnutrition).
This is leading to a rise in diseases like:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart problems
These are called Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), and they now cause over 74% of deaths globally, especially in developing countries like India.
What’s Happening in Tamil Nadu?
- Over 65% of deaths in Chennai are due to NCDs.
- Very few people are able to control diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure, even with treatment.
- People don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.
- Many are not getting enough physical activity.
Tamil Nadu started a programme called Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam (MTM) to fix this, with activities like health walks and nutrition challenges at workplaces.
Nationwide Trends:
- Obesity is increasing with age and income.
- The problem is widespread—not just limited to certain jobs or people.
- Men and women in cities are more affected than those in villages.
- Unhealthy food habits, especially junk and processed foods, are making it worse.
What’s Being Done?
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The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) runs campaigns like:
- "Eat Right India"
- “Aaj Se Thoda Kam” (Eat less fat, sugar, and salt)
- It promotes labelling unhealthy foods clearly.
- A new Health Star Rating (HSR) system was proposed for food packages, but it’s still being debated.
What Can Help?
India can learn from Saudi Arabia, which:
- Puts taxes on sugary and energy drinks
- Limits salt and unhealthy fats in food
- Requires calorie labels in restaurants
This worked well because the government, food companies, and the public all worked together.
The Final Message:
India’s growing cities and tech jobs are making people’s lifestyles unhealthy. Awareness is not enough. We need:
- Stronger food laws
- Healthier food options
- Taxes on junk food
