Mumbaikars neither fit nor healthy: BMC survey

MUMBAI: Mumbaikars consume almost double the daily recommended amount of salt, nine out of 10 Mumbaikars don't eat enough fruits or vegetables and two-thirds don't exercise.
This "unhealthy snapshot" of Mumbaikars was captured by the BMC's health department using one of the most scientific methods called STEPS (STEP-wise approach to Surveillance) survey devised by the World Health Organisation.

The survey found every third Mumbaikar has hypertension, while every fifth has diabetes and another 15% are pre-diabetic. Roughly 8% of Mumbaikars have both diabetes and hypertension. The STEPS survey, which covered 5,000-plus Mumbaikars from August to December 2021, was released on Friday.
1 in 5 Mumbaikars has raised levels of cholesterol: Survey
BMC's STEPS survey showed that one in five Mumbaikars has raised levels of cholesterol-a marker of heart disease. Almost 37% of Mumbaikars in the 18-69 age group have three out of the six risk factors for heart diseases (using tobacco, poor diet, poor physical activity, overweight, raised BP and diabetes).
While the WHO recommends 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity activity such as yoga, cycling, running or swimming, 74.3% of respondents reported no fitness/sports-related physical activity in their daily routine. Only 5gm of salt intake is recommended, but the Mumbai average intake is 8.6gm.
"We for the first time have a baseline of people' health in Mumbai," aid BMC's joint executive health officer Dr Daksha Shah. This will help the BMC compare people's health parameters in the future and plan health programmes. "Taking into consideration the disease burden, we have started screening for hypertension and diabetes. People will be diagnosed earlier and put on treatment as well,'' said additional municipal commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar.
The survey also showed that while many patients with hypertension and diabetes are undergoing treatment, their condition is not under control. Being overweight and obesity are other epidemics stalking Mumbaikars: almost half (46%) have a BMI (body mass index) of over 25kg/m2 while 12% are obese. More women than men are obese in the city, found the survey. Around 12% use tobacco daily, more use smokeless tobacco such as gutka, paan masala, and zarda.
"This survey underscores the prevalence of risk factors that contribute to the epidemic of heart disease we are seeing, especially in the young," said preventive cardiology and rehabilitation specialist Dr Aashish Contractor from H N Reliance Hospital. "Among these, a lack of adequate physical activity, is a low hanging fruit, which is easily rectifiable. The simple message is to move more, it does not have to be vigorous or structured. Each step you take is literally a step toward better heart health," he said.