New Delhi, September 17
A significant number of Indians like to laze around predisposing them to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which are increasingly emerging as a global public health challenge.

As many as 29 per cent of the country’s adult population does not exercise and in fact, barely moves. Women avoid physical activity more than their male counterparts, says a research compilation on NCDs. The Public Health Foundation of India has produced the compilation on the eve of the first ever UN summit on Non-Communicable Diseases scheduled to be held in New York on September 19 and 20.

The document, detailing risk factors which expose Indians to NCDs, says about a fourth of the men in the country - 24 per cent, and one-third of women (almost 34 per cent), have inadequate physical activity levels (defined as one to 149 minutes of activity in the week before the survey).

Physical inactivity is higher in urban than rural areas and also among those aged 45 or more, with over half of the adults in this age bracket being inadequately active. The compilation notes that population-based data on physical inactivity levels are sparse in India.

“The Indian component of the World Health Survey, the only national-level survey thus far, found 29 pc of the adult population had inadequate physical activity levels,” states the document titled “Chronic NCDs in India”.

At the UN Summit, world leaders will pass a political declaration to bring NCD control to the forefront of national effort and to display their commitment to fight surging diseases, which are the biggest cause of death and disability worldwide. India is seeking that mental health be included in the list of four non-communicable diseases which the WHO intends to target. These are cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, strokes and cancers.

At the national health ministers’ conference held earlier in Russia to prepare for the New York summit, India had succeeded in getting the word ‘mental illnesses’ placed alongside the other four major NCDs in the resolution that was finally passed. Even the Draft Political Declaration on the UN Summit on NCDs — which will be taken up for discussion by the world leaders - reflects India’s position on mental health as an NCD.

Coronary heart diseases

Prevalence ranges from 6.6% to 12.7% in urban and 2.1% to 4.3% in rural areas

An estimated 36 million patients at present

Diabetes

51 million Indians diabetic

By 2025, the number projected to rise to 87m

Mental illness

Mental illness accounts for 8.5% of the total disease burden in India