51% Delhi kids have an unhealthy BMI: Survey

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to another global phenomenon: Increased body weight among kids. The sedentary lifestyle imposed on them by the COVID-19 lockdown is the main culprit behind kids piling on extra kilos. Recently, a survey conducted by a youth sports platform, the Sportz Village School, found that 51 percent of Delhi kids have an unhealthy Body Mass Index (BMI), an estimate that calculates body fat. In adults, the calculation is done using height and weight. But for kids, BMI is measured on the basis of their age and gender. This is because their body fat percentage changes rapidly as they grow. So, pediatricians use the term, ‘percentile’ while calculating children’s BMI. This method compares a child’s Body Mass Index with others of the same age bracket and gender.

What is a healthy BMI for kids?
So, the question is, kids with what BMI figure may be defined as overweight or obese? Here are the different weight categories of various BMI percentiles:

Underweight—below the 5th percentile
Healthy Weight —5th percentile to the 85th percentile
Overweight —85th percentile to the 95th percentile
Obese —95th percentile or higher

Kids and unhealthy BMI: What does the survey find?
The Sportz Village School mentioned earlier was conducted among 18,549 Delhi kids. It revealed that 51 percent of kids have an unhealthy BMI. The survey was part of the 11^th Annual Health Survey (AHS) covering about 2,54,681 students of ages 7 to 17 years from 364 schools in 250 Indian towns and cities.

According to the survey, children not only in Delhi but throughout India, are in poor health and fitness conditions. The main reason behind this is low or no physical activity for kids imposed by the COVID-19 lockdown which led to the shut down of schools and mandated social distancing, keeping everyone homebound. Here are the key findings of the survey:

1 out of every 2 children has an unhealthy BMI
Upper body strength: 3 out of 5 children are unhealthy
Lower body strength: 2 out of 3 children are unhealthy
Abdominal strength: 1 out of 6 children have an abdominal issue
Flexibility: 2 out of 5 children are unhealthy
Aerobic capacity (AECAP): 9 out of 10 children are unhealthy
Anaerobic capacity (ANAECAP): 2 out of 5 children are unhealthy

National-level health findings

Body Mass Index, Aerobic Capacity, Anaerobic Capacity, Abdominal or Core Strength, Flexibility, Upper Body Strength, and Lower Body Strength were among the fitness parameters examined at the national level.

The survey found out that 1 out of every 2 children did not have a healthy BMI at the national-level findings.

Furthermore, during this period, the percentage of children with healthy levels of Aerobic Capacity and Core Strength fell by 33% and 10%, respectively.

How to ensure a healthy BMI for kids
Unhealthy BMI can lead to obesity in kids, which, in turn, can increase the risk of a plethora of health conditions starting from bone and joint problems and type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure in adulthood, asthma, gall stones, sleep issues, and liver troubles. So, as a parent, you need to make sure that your kids have a healthy BMI percentile. Follow the golden rule of 5-2-1-0 in order to help your child maintain healthy body weight.

5: Five servings of vegetables and fruits are required for each family member. Keep serving them to kids even if they don’t want them. If they see a food item repeatedly, they are more likely to try it at some point in time. Every snack or meal should include a vegetable or fruit.
2: Restrict the daily TV time to two hours. Family members who spend more time on other screens such as video games, computers, or laptops should get less than two hours of TV time. Also, remove televisions from all bedrooms.
1: 1 hour of physical activity is a must. Add up the minutes each family member is moving. Each person should be moving for at least 60 minutes. Begin with a small amount and gradually increase as needed. The goal is to engage in at least moderate activity for all of those minutes, sweating after about 10 minutes.
0: That's the maximum number of sugar-sweetened beverages kids (and adults too!) should consume per day. Sugar can be found in juices like lemonade and fruit punch, as well as sodas, tea, and coffee. Instead, encourage them to drink more water and low-fat milk.