India Is Facing A Silent Epidemic Of Paediatric Obesity; What Can Be Done

India is witnessing a quiet explosion in Obesity among urban children. According to a study in The Lancet, over 14.4 million children in India are obese, making the country home to the second-highest number of obese children in the world. Additionally, another 45 crore (450 million) obese and overweight individuals will be added by 2050. This is no longer a concern for the future; it’s already impacting our present.

Causes and Consequences

The causes are manifold: children today are growing up in an environment where screens mediate entertainment, education, and even socialisation. According to a 2022 study published in the Indian Journal of Paediatrics, urban children spend an average of 3–5 hours daily on screens, exceeding the recommended limits. Excess screen time not only replaces physical activity but also promotes mindless snacking, poor sleep patterns, and lower metabolism.

The culture of free play is vanishing. Urban landscapes are increasingly crowded with malls and traffic but starved of parks or safe open spaces. Many schools have deprioritised physical education due to academic demands, while gated apartments often lack child-friendly infrastructure. The result? Children are moving less than ever before.

Children’s diets have undergone a dramatic transformation. The easy availability and aggressive marketing of high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt (HFSS) foods have altered food preferences. A study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found that junk food accounts for over 25% of the daily caloric intake of school-going children in metropolitan areas.

And the fallout is severe. Pediatric Obesity is linked to early-onset Type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hypertension, and mental health issues like low self-esteem and anxiety. Disturbingly, conditions once seen in middle-aged adults are now being diagnosed in schoolchildren. Experts warn that around 55% of obese children continue to be obese in adolescence, and approximately 80% of obese adolescents remain obese in adulthood. Excessive weight also increases their lifetime risk of heart disease, infertility, and reduced life expectancy.

What can be done?

Solutions must begin at home, with better food choices, regulated screen time, and encouraging daily physical activity. Schools must become active partners, integrating structured play, health education, and healthier meal options to promote a healthier environment. Policy steps, such as front-of-pack food labelling, increased taxation on sugary drinks, and regulating junk food ads aimed at children, are long overdue. 

However, several positive steps are underway at the policy level. In June 2025, the FSSAI launched its awareness initiative to Combat Obesity under the Eat Right India programme, aiming to raise awareness, especially among children, through tools such as Sugar and Oil Boards in schools and regional-language outreach via radio, railways and digital media. In tandem with this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged every Indian to reduce oil and salt consumption by at least 10% and curb processed foods.

Importantly, routine pediatric check-ups should include BMI and lifestyle screening in addition to vaccinations.

The path ahead demands collective urgency. Pediatric Obesity is not merely about body weight; it’s about lifelong health, productivity, and well-being. If we act now, we can still shift the curve, one child, one plate, and one playground at a time.

Authored by Dr. Sajili Mehta (MBBS, MD, DNB), Consultant Paediatric Endocrinology, Fellowship in Paediatric Endocrinology
Surya Mother and Child Super Speciality Hospital, Pune.