WHO Study: Kids in South India Less Obese than those Up North

A study finds that children in north India are more obese than those in south.

A recent study has found out that the prevalence of obesity was lower in south India compared to the northern states. The study was conducted by Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and a WHO-commissioned-study. A survey was conducted in 16 states between 1981 to 2013. According to the study, the obesity rate was 20.7 percent among children in the northern states and it was 15.1 percent among the children in southern states, reports The Times of India.

The difference could be due to the difference in lifestyle. Although they consume more rotis than rice, they are often rich in ghee, which adds more calories and fat.

Viswanathan Mohan, President and Director of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, to The Times of India.

The detailed impact of the obesity is yet to be studied by the researchers. A recently published study in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, finds that there has been an increase in the obesity prevalence from 16.3% to 19.3 percent in 2005-2010.

The rate of increase in obesity was still lesser in lower social economic group but it is still increasing. It has gone up from 4% to 8% while the obesity rate of higher income groups is 18 percent. The highest prevalence of obesity was studied in Punjab, Delhi, Jaipur and Surat.

Experts claim childhood obesity, is a forerunner of metabolic syndrome, poor physical health, mental disorders, respiratory problems and glucose intolerance, according to TOI.