Health Empirics

In the current epidemiological transition, a rapid increase in the prevalence of overweight is observed in low-middle-income countries. There is a prominent shift towards a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy food consumption which has triggered the risk of NCDs. The situation is similar in India. A holistic understanding of obesity epidemiology is the need of the hour with a target-oriented intervention approach. Though multiple studies have been a part of the research pool, insights are limited in the case of the whole prevalence as per the National estimate. This study attempts to understand the epidemiology of overweight/obesity in India concerning the entire population. The study is unique in the sense that it utilizes National-level estimates to understand the epidemiology of obesity concerning the entire population. It aims to explore the state-level prevalence of overweight/obesity and understand the implications as per socio-economic indicators and age-sex groups. The study takes up cross-sectional analysis, using two National Representative data sets. It identifies key anthropometric parameters and socio- economic correlates to run descriptive analysis and logistic regression. The descriptive analysis provided us with the age-sex prevalence of obesity, while logistic regression was used to establish the SES gradient by age. Lastly, to measure the inequality of obesity among males and females by different age groups, concentration indices is used. The findings reveal a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity among females than males. The prevalence among females is 19.2 percent, whereas it is 16.8 percent in the case of males. The highest prevalence is observed in NCT Delhi (33.9%) and the lowest in Meghalaya (10%). With respect to socio-economic determinants, the prevalence is noticeably higher among those residing in urban areas, belonging to the richest wealth index, identifying in the ‘others’ social groups and who have 10 or more years of education across the age groups. The paper presents all-inclusive results of obesity/overweight epidemiology in India, giving a holistic understanding of obesity implications with regard to age and SES- wise determinants. Thus, providing probable pathways for intervention.

Keywords: Obesity, Overweight, India, Nutrition, Body Mass Index