According to a study by The Licent, about 50% Indians are shying away from physical labour and if the conditions do not improve, this figure is likely to reach 60% by 2030. In such a situation, awareness is necessary in time because only a healthy and active India can truly move towards a developed India.
A study published in The Licent Global Health Journal says that about 50% Indians do not meet the minimum standards of health set by the World Health Organization.
This not only shows our negligence towards health but also underlines the worrying element that a large number of people are ignoring the need to improve their lifestyle. It is also worrying because the figures are pointing towards a worsening situation. In the year 2000, 22% of adults in the country were not physically active enough. So in 2010 this figure was 34% and now it has reached almost 50%. The situation of women (57%) is even worse, who are more inactive than men (42%). The reason for this is that most women consider household work as an alternative to physical exercise, which is only partially true. Then they also face cultural barriers. Most housewives get so engrossed in household chores that they push themselves back in their own priorities. It is also worrying that the report says that Indian women are in a worse situation than the neighboring countries Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.
According to the World Health Organization, if an adult does not do 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of high intensity physical activity per week, then he will be considered inactive. Despite the fact that Indians are genetically more prone to developing non-communicable diseases like heart disease and diabetes at least a decade earlier than others, if the adults of the country are also reducing physical activities, then it simply means that they are increasing the risk for themselves. In fact, increasing urbanization in the whole of South Asia including India has increased consumerism, which has led to a comfortable lifestyle.
This is the reason why the report also shows that out of 195 countries in the world, India has reached the 12th position in terms of insufficient physical activity and if things do not improve, then by 2030, 60 percent of the country’s population will be at risk of diseases due to lack of adequate physical labor. In such a situation, it is very important to understand the message contained in the conclusion of Lesant with all seriousness and improve our lifestyle because only a healthy and active India can truly move towards Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a developed India.
