NEW DELHI: As obesity has become a silent epidemic in India, fiscal policies must be introduced to make healthy food options affordable and accessible while discouraging unhealthy choices through higher taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and ultra-processed foods, according to a national white paper released on Tuesday on the occasion of World Obesity Day 2025.
Despite the increasing prevalence of obesity, India’s healthcare system lacks a structured approach to obesity prevention and management, according to the white paper ‘Obesity Care in India’ released by the Foundation for People-centric Health Systems, a not-for-profit organisation working towards strengthening the public healthcare system in India.
“Obesity is a silent epidemic that demands urgent and sustained action at multiple levels. Strengthening policy frameworks, increasing public awareness, and ensuring equitable access to healthcare services is critical to mitigating the obesity burden in India,” said Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, an acclaimed primary care physician, academician, health policy researcher and global health expert, who is the lead author of the white paper.
Highlighting significant gaps in addressing obesity in India, the paper said there is a lack of national screening programs for early obesity detection; limited integration of obesity care into primary healthcare services and reactive rather than preventive interventions focusing on treating complications instead of promoting healthier behaviours.
It also pointed out inadequate training for healthcare providers in obesity management, leading to inconsistent treatment approaches and Limited Health insurance coverage for obesity-related treatments, making bariatric surgery and pharmacological interventions financially inaccessible.
Though the white paper noted that the government has launched several initiatives to address obesity, they remain limited in scale and impact. It highlighted that the POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) primarily targets malnutrition and lacks a dedicated obesity prevention framework.
Similarly, the Fit India Movement promotes physical activity but does not integrate structured intervention programs.
“The government needs to establish national obesity guidelines, integrate obesity care into primary healthcare, and regulate unhealthy food marketing. The healthcare sector should develop specialised training for obesity management and ensure equitable treatment access. In addition, the food industry must be regulated to improve food labelling, reduce ultra-processed food production, and limit misleading advertisements,” said Dr Lahariya, who is also a senior consultant physician at Centre for Health: The Specialty Practice, India's first integrated preventive medicine, public health and curative care focused clinic.
It also suggested that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) should implement strict food labelling norms that mandate the disclosure of sugar, fat, and calorie content on all processed food products; monitor and restrict the marketing of unhealthy foods, especially those targeting vulnerable groups like children and adolescents; incentivise the production and sale of healthier alternatives, such as fortified foods and low sugar beverages, by providing subsidies or tax benefits to manufacturers and collaborate with state governments to ensure compliance with food safety and advertising regulations at the grassroots level.
The white paper, which involved some of the best-known experts in public health, also suggested that the education sector should incorporate nutrition education and physical activity programs in schools to instil lifelong healthy habits.
“Addressing obesity requires a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach, integrating public health interventions, policy reforms, and behavioural strategies,” the paper said, adding that the fragmented healthcare infrastructure often treats obesity in isolation rather than integrating it into comprehensive chronic disease management programs.
Obesity is rapidly increasing in India due to changing dietary habits, sedentary lifestyles, and inadequate public awareness.
It is a significant contributor to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension, leading to an increasing economic and healthcare burden.
The rising prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents is particularly concerning, as it predisposes them to early-onset diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and psychological distress, significantly impacting long-term health outcomes, the paper said.
According to estimates, by 2035, more than 4 billion people worldwide will be classified as overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²), a significant increase from 2.6 billion in 2020. This rise translates to over 50% of the global population being affected by 2035, compared to 38% in 2020.
In the Asia-Pacific region, approximately 1 billion adults live with overweight or obesity.
According to World Obesity reports, the prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 24 kg/m²) in India is about 11%, which is higher than in many other low-middle-income countries and comparable to rates in high-middle-income countries. According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), the prevalence of overweight and obesity (BMI ≥ 22.9 kg/m²) was 44.02% among men and 41.16% among women. This marks a relative increase of 6.37% in men and 5.10% in women compared to NFHS-4 findings (37.71% and 36.14%, respectively).
Also, what is noteworthy is obesity rates are higher in northern, western, southern, and most northeastern states, while central and eastern states reported lower prevalence.
An urban-rural divide in obesity prevalence was also evident. About 13% to 50% of the urban population and 8% to 38.2% of the rural population are affected. Obesity is more commonly seen in women compared to men and is increasing in children and adolescents.