Prevalence of Overweight in Rural Sedentary Human Resources in Southern Part of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Development couples economic growth with social equity. Development of any region therefore essentially demands social equity, which has access to quality education, healthcare facilities as an essential prerequisite. Access to quality education necessitates involvement of healthy human resources who will serve as role models and impart quality education to children, that is needed for children’s as well as area’s holistic development. Obviously rural areas in India are no exception. Simultaneously the Indian rural society is undergoing a major lifestyle transition through last few decades due to growing affluence in a section of the society. In this backdrop, a study was conducted to assess the prevalence, if any, of being overweight and/or obese in human resources involved in imparting education to children on a fulltime basis in rural areas. 48 male (age 38.7 ± 7.56 y) and 36 female (age 38.0 ± 8.36y) individuals fulfilling the inclusion criteria volunteered for the study. Anthropometric (body height, body weight, BMI) and body composition variables (whole body fat, fat free mass, subcutaneous and visceral fat percentage) were measured and information on demographic and socio economic condition, experience (year), total working hours, occupational sitting time was recorded. It was found from the study that a significant fraction of individuals engaged in teaching in rural areas, a sedentary avocation, falling under upper middle class category as per modified Kuppuswami Scale, irrespective of gender, are showing indications of being overweight, as per WHO classification for South Asians. It may be concluded that this particular nature of sedentary occupation has significant negative impact on body composition in both the genders. Comprehensive workplace health promotion programs (alteration in occupational activities, transport mode and leisure time) should be considered particularly for this type of professions required to have high social impact especially in view of the fact that there is less availability for health fitness centre compared to urban regions, to reverse the growing trend of being overweight for preventing further metabolic complications.