Mumbai: Nearly one in three women in Maharashtra (31.1%) is now overweight or obese, according to data from the National Family Health Survey-6, which was released on Friday.This count is up from 23.5% in the previous NFHS-5, marking a 32% increase in just a few years.The picture becomes more concerning in urban Maharashtra, where 40.1% of women have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or above, the threshold used to classify overweight and obesity in Indians. That is, four in every 10 women living in Maharashtra cities are overweight or have obesity, which in recent times has emerged as the underlying cause for over 200 diseases, including cancer.While the obesity rate in Maharashtra is higher than the national figure (27% of women are overweight or obese across India), the state’s prevalence remains significantly lower than that of southern states.While obesity rates range from 36.3% in Telangana to 47.9% in Andhra Pradesh in South India, urban obesity among women affects almost half the adult women population. Consider Andhra Pradesh, where urban obesity among women stands at 57.3%. The corresponding figure is 51.7% in Karnataka, 49.1% in Tamil Nadu, 48.7% in Telangana and 48.3% in Kerala.“The higher obesity rates in South India could reflect the diets that are rich in carbohydrates and fat, but deficient in protein,” said senior endocrinologist Dr Shashank Joshi, who consults at Lilavati Hospital in Bandra.The higher BMI across India in the last five years, according to Dr Joshi, is a combination of biological, dietary and lifestyle factors. “Women are naturally predisposed to have a higher body-fat percentage than men, and pregnancy-related weight gain also contributes to the burden,” he said. In recent times, low physical activity has worsened the weight-gain story across urban hubs.Public health experts say the data suggest that southern states have entered a more advanced stage of the obesity epidemic, where excess weight is common not only in cities but also in rural areas. Kerala is a striking example, with 45.1% of rural women classified as overweight or obese.Maharashtra, in contrast, continues to display a sharp urban-rural divide. While 40.1% of urban women are overweight or obese, the figure drops to 24.8% in rural areas, indicating that the burden remains concentrated in cities and larger towns.Dr Joshi added that increasing mechanisation and sedentary lifestyles are contributing to rising obesity across both sexes. “People are walking and cycling less and relying more on motorised transport. Physical activity has reduced substantially in urban areas.”The NFHS-6 data also show that obesity is no longer predominantly a women’s issue, at least in Maharashtra. About 32.8% of men in Maharashtra are overweight or obese, compared with 31.1% of women, reflecting a broader trend of rising excess weight across both genders.“Men in more developed states are becoming increasingly sedentary. The near-equalisation of obesity rates between men and women in Maharashtra is a reflection of changing lifestyles and reduced physical activity,” Dr Joshi said.
