HYDERABAD: The city, which is considered among the
top food destinations
, also has the most overweight boys in the country, a recent study has revealed. A whopping 39.16% school boys in Hyderabad's private schools aged between 7 and 17 years top the country when it comes to
unhealthy Body Mass Index
(BMI) a measure of body fat based on height and weight.
The `7th Annual Health and Fitness Study' conducted by EduSports was carried with a sample size involving 1,69,932 children in the age group of 7 to 17 years in 326 schools across 86 cities in 26 states.
“The ideal BMI for children in the age-group of 7-17 is in the range of 15 to 22 and it keeps varying as their bodies develop rapidly in that age group. Higher BMI indicates that the child has a high amount of body fat,“ said Saumil Majmudar, co-founder and MD at EduSports, while advocating the need for children to stay fit only by playing sports.
In terms of unhealthy BMI, Kolkata boys came in next with 37.17% boys having unhealthy BMI, followed by Mumbai with 35.81%, New Delhi with 35.17%, Chennai with 34.16% and the last and healthiest were from Bengaluru with only 33.72% having weight issues.
In contrast, Hyderabadi school girls were comparatively healthy with only 25.6% girls found to have BMI beyond 24.9.
The high BMI could be indicative of multiple factors, as experts are not una nimous on one particular factor. “Off late, there has been an epidemic of obesity in children and it is extremely important that children indulge in physical activity .Ideally , for obese children some low impact activities like swimming, cycling, yoga are appropriate in order to avoid strain on their knees because of weight.
Initially, up to 12 years of age, they should be encouraged to go for multiple sports activity , which enable them to take the sport of their liking,“ advised Dr Paripati Sharat Kumar, consultant orthopaedic and sports medicine, Apollo Health City. Dr Sreedhar Lakkoju, physiotherapist, Continental Hospitals, cautions that kids with unhealthy BMI should not be forced to play one particular sport.
“It is advisable to allow the child to follow his passion but one must keep certain points in mind before choosing a sport for school children.They include amount of flexibility of muscles that is required so as to prevent overuse of injuries, the level of strength it takes to play the chosen sport and the agility training required for refinement of the game are crucial factors,“ said Dr Sreedhar.
While it is acknowledged that schools provide the right solution given the time table, curriculum and safety factors being covered, there has not been any attempt by city-based private schools to integrate sports into academic curriculum.
However, Saumil Majmudar was quick to point out the difficulties, saying providing children with a play experience is difficult in a concrete jungle with disappearing playgrounds, besides other factors.
“Children who do not eat breakfast become overweight and obese. Unhealthy BMI in boys could also be because busy parents cook very less at home and hence, the boys are forced to eat out regularly . Easy access to cheap and high calorie junk foods and more consumption of sweetened drinks also add to the problem,“ said Sujatha Stephen, chief nutritionist of the Yashoda hospitals, Malakpet.