Remote India’s children zero in on couch potatoes

Almost all children surveyed watched TV for at least three hours a day, munched ‘‘something crispy or spicy’’ while they sat hypnotised and never exercised. Doctor couple Laxmi and Chandrashekhar Divekar and teachers Vijay Kodur and Bharat Satpute helped them in the project and their report — Obesity as a result of overnutrition, a 21st century problem? — caught the eye of the National Science and Technology Council which invited the students to the National Children’s Science Congress in Mysore.

Dr Chandrashekhar Divekar said the survey lasted almost two weeks, students even using callipers to measure skin thickness. ‘‘The survey findings were shocking.’’ His wife Laxmi said obesity in a town like Sangamner, with no pizza or burger outlet, was a matter of concern. Soft drinks and potato wafer bags though were available at every street corner.

The students are now narrating how they went about the survey, studying the behaviour pattern and diet habits of 373 children from Sangamner. Children and parents were handed a questionnaire, told to fill details on daily diet, time spent before TV and on exercise.

What they found was this: 70 per cent of the children had a chocolate a day while 25 per cent had two or more chocolates.

Only 10 per cent settled for green vegetables and almost 60 percent had biscuits in the morning. But all liked pizza, dosa, idli, misal and vada-pav.

In search of a solution to beat obesity, the young surveyors checked with local sports club, consulted physicians, ayurveda experts and finally prepared a chart highlighting the daily calorie intake. There were suggestions for a balanced diet, regular exercises to keep the children in shape.

For Sangamner, this is a huge, new problem. No different from the great cities battling the bulge for future’s sake.