‘88 per percent women, 61 percent men have waist to hip ratio’

Srinagar, Jun 11: More than 35 percent women and 36 percent men in Jammu and Kashmir are either too thin or overweight or obese, the National Health and Family Survey-5 (NHFS-5) has reported.

Official data with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reveals that more than 88 percent women and 61 percent of men have a waist-to-hip ratio that puts them at increased risk of metabolic complications.

“Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients including undernutrition and overweight, and obesity. The body mass index (BMI), which is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of the person’s height in meters, is a measure that indicates the nutritional status in adults,” the data reads. “More than two-fifths (35%) of women and 36 percent of men are either too thin or overweight, or obese. Among women age 15-49, the proportion of overweight or obese is 29 percent, which is the same as in NFHS-4. More men are overweight or obese (32%) than thin (4%), similar to the patern observed in NFHS-4. Five percent of women in Jammu & Kashmir are too thin. Over three-fifths of women and men are at a healthy weight for their height.”

The survey states: “Undernutrition is widespread in the younger age groups (especially age 15-19), those in rural areas, and women of scheduled tribes. Overweight and obesity are most prevalent in older adults, those in urban areas, and well-educated men.”

The survey reads that for the first time, the 2019-20 NFHS measured the waist circumference and hip circumference of women and men age 15-49 years. “This information was used to calculate the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). WHR helps to identify the distribution of body fat and predicts abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, stroke, and premature death,” it reads. “More than four-fifths (88%) of women and 61 percent of men have a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) that puts them at a substantially increased risk of metabolic complications. The proportion of adults with such increased risk WHR increases with age, from 81 percent for women age 15-19 to 90 percent for women age 40-49, and from 52 percent for men age 15-19 to 61 percent for men age 40-49. “

The survey also reads that the proportion of both women and men having a substantially increased risk of WHR is higher in urban areas than in rural areas.

“The use of iodized salt prevents iodine deficiency, which can lead to miscarriage, goitre, and mental retardation. Ninety-eight percent of households with tested salt were using iodized salt at the time of the survey,” the survey reads—(KNO)