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Classrooms: New Frontline in Childhood Obesity Battle, Experts Urge Holistic Approach
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News18•27-09-2026, 15:30
Classrooms: New Frontline in Childhood Obesity Battle, Experts Urge Holistic Approach
- •Experts advocate for schools to become a crucial battleground against childhood obesity, extending efforts beyond hospitals to classrooms, canteens, and playgrounds.
- •Schools can significantly influence children's food choices, physical activity, and health habits during formative years, shaping lifelong metabolic health.
- •Interventions must focus on promoting healthy growth, balanced nutrition, restorative sleep, and joyful movement, avoiding restrictive dieting or weight stigma.
- •India faces a significant challenge with childhood obesity, ranking second globally with 41 million affected children, prompting policy action for healthier food environments.
- •Schools are encouraged to provide nutritious food, monitor screen time, promote physical activity, and integrate health literacy into the curriculum, involving parents for sustained habits.
Key Questions Answered
According to the World Obesity Atlas 2026, India has the second-highest number of children living with overweight or obesity globally, affecting approximately 41 million children.
Excess weight during childhood can lead to insulin resistance, abnormal lipid levels, fatty liver disease, and high blood pressure, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes later in life.
Schools can help by replacing hyper-processed foods with nutrient-dense options in canteens, safeguarding robust physical activity, integrating wellness education into the core curriculum, and avoiding restrictive dieting or weight stigma.
