Monday, October 22, 2007

Punjab: Highest Prevalence of Obesity Among Women


Yikes.
Punjab and Delhi, which are among states with the lowest sex ratio, have the highest number of obese women in India, reveals a new government report. “Women in India, 2007”, compiled by the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCD), say that 34 per cent of women in Delhi and 37.5 per cent in Punjab are obese — the highest for any state in India. These figures are based on a study on International Institute of Population Studies in 2006...The contrast in the health of Indian women shows up when female obesity in these three states is compared with the national average of 14 per cent or that of poorer states like Bihar (5.3 per cent), Jharkhand (5.6 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (8.6 per cent) and Chhattisgarh (6.7).
The article states that the skewed sex ratio (sex ratio in Delhi in 2001 was 865 for 1,000 boys and 820 in Punjab) and high rates of obesity among women suggests that females are looked after well. I'm not sure I follow that logic (I don't think skewed gender ratios means girls are being treated better as attested by higher rates of obesity... although it's an interesting link being made and I would like to look into it more) - but there are obvious environmental factors that impact these rates such as a lack of exercise and high fat, high carb diets. Perhaps it's time to put down that extra gulab jaman!

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