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Journalism of Courage
This year’s Economic Survey takes note of economic impact of an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and mental health issues, stating: “For India’s working-age population to be gainfully employed, they need skills and good health. Social media, screen time, sedentary habits, and unhealthy food are a lethal mix that can undermine public health and productivity and diminish India’s economic potential.”
It goes on to say: “The private sector’s contribution to this toxic mix of habits is substantial, and that is myopic. The emerging food consumption habits of Indians are not only unhealthy but also environmentally unsustainable.”
The report states that obesity and diabetes are on the rise in the country. Citing data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5 in 2019 and 2021), the survey says obesity has increased by four percentage points in men and 3.4% in women over previous round of the survey in 2015-16.
Blaming the upsurge in the consumption of highly processed food containing sugar and fat, it says: “If India needs to reap the gains of its demographic dividend, it is critical that its population’s health parameters transition towards a balanced and diverse diet.” The report states that 56.4% of total disease burden is due to unhealthy diets, as the National Institute of Nutrition had said in its recent dietary guidelines for Indians.
The survey goes on to say the incidence of Type 2 diabetes has increased from 2% to 20% over the last 50 years. It argues: “Firstly, the government and the public at large need to accord healthy eating and mental health the attention they deserve. Secondly, public health being a state subject, state and local level governance remain pivotal for the national big-ticket programmes to reach the last mile through the path of least resistance.”
The government has planned screening for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and the three-most common cancers through its network of over 1.6 lakh health an wellness centres across the country. There are states such as Delhi that have not implemented the scheme and others like Punjab and West Bengal that are in tussle with the Centre over funds and branding norms to be followed.
Screening people and giving them medicines is not enough, said former director of Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar Dr Dileep Mavlankar. “There is a huge economic impact if the working population is unhealthy. While the focus earlier was on infectious diseases, maternal and child health earlier, it has been shifting towards non-communicable diseases over last several years. Health systems are still geared towards managing acute ailments but there is a need for longitudinal follow-up of each patient for management of chronic conditions such as diabetes,” he said.
On mental health, it stated that 10.6% adults suffered from mental disorders in India according to National Mental Health Survey 2015-16. It also mentions the negative impact of social media on mental health of the children.
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