India’s health ministry has initiated its first survey on lifestyle trends in nine states to gather estimates on people suffering from diabetes and cardio-vascular disorders.
To be run by the Registrar General of India (RGI), the survey will collect clinical, biochemical and anthropometric components including blood pressure, fasting sugar, iodine and iron levels among residents of Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Assam. These nine states account for around 50% of the country’s population and have the highest number of infant and maternal mortality rates put together. RGI will start collecting samples from 1,400 households in 284 districts in the states later this year.
Until now the focus of the Annual Health Survey and National Family Health Survey conducted by the Indian government has been on maternal and infant deaths, malnourishment among children and immunization, according to report published in DNA India.
What this means
As the middle class increases in size, disease caused by sedentary lifestyle are multiplying rapidly in India. In our work at Amritt, we are already seeing much good work by Western companies grappling with these issues and how they affect India uniquely. Some private and non-profit organizations are also performing ground-breaking research on these issued. But solid data from the government will establish baselines and trends that will go a long way in helping all stakeholders.
