Overweight students: Heavy syllabus blamed
Shimona Kanwar | TNN | Dec 26, 2018, 05:58 IST
Heavy syllabus is resulting in an increase in sedentary lifestyleCHANDIGARH: Heavy syllabus is resulting in an increase in sedentary lifestyle, which is responsible for obesity and overweight in adolescent schoolchildren in the city. This was revealed in a study recently published in a journal, “Indian Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation”. The study found that out of 75 students, 12% of girls and 2.4% of boys were overweight. Prevalence of obesity was 2.4% in boys and 6.1% among girls.
Doctors say that such a prevalence of overweight children suggests more obese adults in the future. The study, “Prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents in an urban north Indian school: A cross sectional study” was conducted by doctors Deepak Kumar and V S Gogoi from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, respectively.
“While we were exploring how much burdened the students were with homework and syllabus, we also thought to examine their physical activity. And eventually, we found that most of the girls as compared to the boys were overweight due to inactive lifestyle,” said Dr V S Gogoi, the corresponding author of the study.
The study was conducted in a public school involving 75 students from Classes VIII to X in the age group of 11 years and 16 years. There were 42 boys and 33 girls. The children were screened for their weight, height and waist and hip circumference. The study found a correlation with gender and presence of non-communicable diseases in the family like hypertension and diabetes. More than half of the children liked junk food (54.7%) as compared to home-made food. The daily physical activities of these children were not more than two hours and ranged between 30 minutes and two hours.
“Adolescent obesity and overweight has increased in the past few decades and poses to be a serious health hazard for developing non-communicable diseases in adulthood. Our study, therefore, suggests to identify such children early and encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyle practices,” said Dr Gogoi.
A study in 2010 carried out by the department of gasteroenterology at the PGI on schoolchildren from Chandigarh showed that 15% of the 1,500 schoolchildren suffered from obesity. These children were in the age group of 5 years and 15 years.
Doctors say that such a prevalence of overweight children suggests more obese adults in the future. The study, “Prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents in an urban north Indian school: A cross sectional study” was conducted by doctors Deepak Kumar and V S Gogoi from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, respectively.
“While we were exploring how much burdened the students were with homework and syllabus, we also thought to examine their physical activity. And eventually, we found that most of the girls as compared to the boys were overweight due to inactive lifestyle,” said Dr V S Gogoi, the corresponding author of the study.
The study was conducted in a public school involving 75 students from Classes VIII to X in the age group of 11 years and 16 years. There were 42 boys and 33 girls. The children were screened for their weight, height and waist and hip circumference. The study found a correlation with gender and presence of non-communicable diseases in the family like hypertension and diabetes. More than half of the children liked junk food (54.7%) as compared to home-made food. The daily physical activities of these children were not more than two hours and ranged between 30 minutes and two hours.
“Adolescent obesity and overweight has increased in the past few decades and poses to be a serious health hazard for developing non-communicable diseases in adulthood. Our study, therefore, suggests to identify such children early and encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyle practices,” said Dr Gogoi.
A study in 2010 carried out by the department of gasteroenterology at the PGI on schoolchildren from Chandigarh showed that 15% of the 1,500 schoolchildren suffered from obesity. These children were in the age group of 5 years and 15 years.
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