Prayagraj: Rising rates of obesity, overweight, and possible diabetes risk among city pupils are mostly caused by a prevalent practice of leaving home on an empty stomach and a continuing drop in the usage of bicycles for commuting to school. These results, which came from an ongoing research by Motilal Nehru Medical College (MLNMC), showed concerning patterns in teenage diet and lifestyle.

The Multidisciplinary Research Unit (MRU) of MLNMC is conducting the study, which was started in 2023 under the department of health research. The research is to assess 1,000 pupils in total, with an emphasis on the prevalence of obesity, overweight, and associated health issues. Data from 650 students have been analyzed so far, providing researchers with sufficient initial evidence to pinpoint distinct patterns of health risk.

Students in grades 9 through 12, ages 15 to 17, are among the participants. The research looks at anthropometric characteristics including height, weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference in addition to specific dietary practices like daily protein and calorie consumption.

In order to better understand the students’ eating habits and lifestyle choices, a medical team also held counseling sessions with them.

According to preliminary results, 1% of the youngsters had an obesity diagnosis and 2.4% were overweight. Heavy fast food intake was one notable behavioral tendency that was noted. About 36.2% of students ate fast food every day, which led to an 8% increase in calorie intake and was a significant cause of early weight gain.

Apart from eating poorly, physical inactivity is becoming a significant issue. Instead of walking or cycling, the majority of the kids polled travel to school by automobile or motorbike. Additionally, a lot of people skip breakfast, which leaves them without enough morning nourishment and raises their risk of metabolic imbalance, obesity, and diabetes.

Dr. Anubha Srivastava of MLNMC’s medical department claims that while students have a fundamental understanding of health, misunderstandings are nevertheless common. Although many students are aware of the problems associated with nutrition, many may not fully comprehend them. The study’s experts claim that fast food intake has resulted in a discernible protein and calorie deficit, particularly in females.

Differences according to school type were also discovered by the research. While undernourishment was more prevalent among kids in Hindi-medium schools, overweight and obesity rates were greater among students from English-medium schools (158 boys and 212 girls). 38% of boys and a startling 53.2% of girls were found to be protein deficient, suggesting that female pupils had a greater nutritional disparity.
Counseling sessions also indicated that 52% of children confessed to regularly consuming fried and processed fast food products, and 51.7% of youngsters accepted that frequent use of sugar raises body weight.

Researchers came to the conclusion that in order to shield kids from long-term health issues, schools should prioritize teaching about risk factors, support safe weight management techniques, guarantee better cafeteria selections, and promote regular physical exercise.