KOZHIKODE: The state is indeed one of the top performers in overall health, but there is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to physical activities, according to the Lancet medical journal. A write-up on the variations in epidemiological transition across the various Indian states(1990 - 2016), recently carried by the peer-reviewed journal puts Kerala in the league of states with the least physical activity.
Due to diminished physical activity, the state lost a total of 526 DALYs (Disability Adjusted Life Years) which amount to one year of healthy life lost.
The comprehensive data published by Lancet includes the number of DALYs lost by each state due to ischaemic heart disease, respiratory infections and skin diseases as well as risk factors such as air pollution, sexual abuse, low physical activity etc. According to health experts and doctors in the state, the primary factors contributing to poor physical activity is the shift in lifestyle pattern. “We are increasingly taking up work and activities which involve less physical strain and more mental effort,” says Indian Medical Association(IMA) Kerala state president Dr E K Ummar.
“ There are very many people opting for IT and IT-related jobs which involve spending a better part of the day in front of digital devices . This has lessened the time people spend outdoors,” he says.
In addition, lack of time for exercise, constant work pressure and irregular eating habits have led to dimnished physical activity.
A drop has been witnessed in the number of people taking up physically-demanding jobs such as agriculture and manual labour. “Most of the labourers in Kerala these days are migrants, indicating a dearth of people taking up blue-collar jobs,” says Ummar.As far as diminished physical activity among children is concerned, parental pressure and surfeit of technology are cited as primary reasons. “Children do not get time to go out and play due to exam and private tuitions coupled with the ensuing stress. The little free time they get is spent on digital devices,” says Indian Academy of Paediatrics(IAP) Kerala chapter state president Dr M N Venkateswaran.
“In a recent local survey, we found nearly 20 per cent of the 800 students we assessed suffered from obesity,” he says. While obesity is one of the major lifestyle diseases resulting from diminished physical activity, diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol etc are the other ailments. “Lifestyle diseases were earlier common among men. However, women are increasingly found to be victims of such issues,” says Arogyakeralam state programme officer Nita Vinayan. In addition to regular exercises, activities such as gardening, yoga must be taken up at individual and community level, she said.