Undernourishment and obesity seen as India’s economy grows

Far from reaping the benefits of a rapidly growing economy, India’s women and children are at the receiving end of a dual epidemic of undernourishment and obesity, a study revealed. Indian child and maternal health indicators have a lower response to the growth in national income when compared with the global average. Papers on maternal and child nutrition show that as the economy prospers, the prevalence of obesity among women increases faster than the decrease in the prevalence of underweight women. India’s economy has been growing at an average 7.3% in the past four years. The papers on maternal and child nutrition, published in the medical journal Lancet, indicate that a 10% increase in gross domestic product (GDP) leads to a 6% reduction in stunted growth of children but a 10% increase leads to a 7% increase in overweight people. Read More