UP faces obesity and malnutrition among adolescents | Lucknow News

Lucknow: One in two adolescent girls and one in three adolescent boys in UP suffer from anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies, undermining their physical growth, cognitive abilities and academic performance. About 45.8% adolescent girls and one-third of adolescent boys (32.5%) have excess body fat, reports the National Family Health Survey 5.Sharing the data, experts from the department of education, health and women and child development (WCD) deliberated on ‘Promoting Healthy Diets and Lifestyles in School-Age Children and Adolescents’ at a state-level consultation organised by Unicef in Lucknow on Friday. Experts said the data highlights a dual challenge: while obesity and related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise among children and adolescents, undernutrition and anaemia continue to persist.Programme manager, Unicef, Amit Mehrotra said they would soon conduct a nutrition environment assessment in select schools of UP, which will enable informed policy decisions and concrete actions by govt, teachers, parents and key stakeholders. WCD principal secretary Leena Johri reaffirmed the govt’s commitment to improving the nutrition of children and women through initiatives like Poshan Abhiyaan and services delivered via anganwadi centres. “These programmes have not only improved school attendance but are also raising the nutritional levels of families,” she said. Johri added: “Children’s attraction towards junk food is a matter of serious concern. Equal emphasis must be given to nutritious diets and active participation in sports.” She urged the media to actively raise awareness on healthy diets and cautioned everyone against misleading advertisements. Director general, school education, Kanchan Verma said the govt’s vision of ‘Viksit UP and Viksit Bharat by 2047′ depends on nurturing the full potential of children. “Proper nutrition and healthy lifestyles are essential for holistic child development. The education and WCD departments are working hand in hand, and regular teacher trainings are vital to ensuring that nutrition education reaches every classroom,” Kanchan said. State immunisation officer Dr Ajay Gupta said efforts are on under the Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) programme and the National Adolescent Health Programme (RKSK) to address anaemia and strengthen adolescent health. Pediatrician Dr Piyali Bhattacharya highlighted the significance of nutrition during the first 1,000 days and adolescence while ICMR scientist Dr Priyanka Bansal presented insights from ongoing research on anaemia and malnutrition. Representatives from Bihar and Telangana also shared their school-based best practices.Experts shared that Uttar Pradesh is home to over 80 million school-age children and adolescents, including 48.7 million adolescents who constitute 24.4% of the state’s population.