Children 5 times more prone to obesity in private schools: AIIMS–ICMR study

The prevalence of obesity among school-going adolescent children in Delhi is five times more in private schools than in public schools, according to a new study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Noticeably, the prevalence of obesity is higher among boys than girls in both types of schools.

The study, funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), involved researchers from the endocrinology, cardiac biochemistry and biostatistics departments of AIIMS.

They tracked the health of 3,888 students in the 6 to 19 age group with 1,985 children from public schools and 1,903 from private schools.

The team looked at blood pressure (BP), waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides.

They also met with the principals of each school to explain the objectives of the study, the expected outcomes, and its potential impact in order to establish rapport and trust.

"The findings revealed that the prevalence of being underweight was nearly five times higher in public school compared to private school students. At the same time, obesity was more than five times higher in private schools compared to public school students," the report said.

The study noted that in India, data on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on obesity was scarce, and there was even less data on underweight.

Hypertension among urban adolescents, in the 10–19 age group, was found to be over 7 per cent, with no significant difference between public and private school students or between boys and girls.

The study showed that while public school students have fewer weight issues, they are prone to develop metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.

"The overall prevalence rates of general obesity and central obesity were 13.41 per cent and 9.15 per cent respectively, with significantly higher prevalence in private schools," the report said.

Dr M. Kalaivani, assistant professor of biostatistics at AIIMS-Delhi, who was the principal lead of of the study, highlighted the high prevalence of dyslipidemia — abnormal levels of any lipid parameters — among 34 per cent of the students. "It was more common among children attending public schools, slightly lower among children from private schools," she told the Indian Express.

She attributed the cause for this to access to cheaper, smaller packets of processed snacks and street vendors peddling fried food at low prices. "The quantity becomes more important than quality," Dr Kalaivani added.

(With PTI inputs)