Half of the workforce in Indian industries overweight

Health News : 20 May, 2008, 0950 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: Nearly half of the workforce in Indian industries, especially in urban areas, is overweight, and 27 per cent suffer from hypertension.

These revelations came across in a study conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to gauge workplace health problems.

The survey showed that 27 per cent of the workforce suffered from hypertension, 10.1 per cent suffer from diabetes and 47 per cent were overweight.

This was particularly evident in industries located in highly urbanised areas, the study said.

The study recommends imparting health education for preventing Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVD) and assess the impact of health education on controlling these diseases.

The surveillance started with a baseline survey of more than 35,000 employees and their family members in 10 different industries in India in the age group of 10-69 years and a detailed risk factor survey of 20,000 randomly-selected individuals.

The survey was part of a report "Preventing Communicable Diseases in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity" which was presented to the World Health Assembly in Geneva yesterday.

The document was the outcome of an event jointly organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Economic Forum and summarises the current evidence available in addressing different dimensions of the workplace as a key setting for interventions designed to prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) through diet and physical activity.