| Obesity numbers don’t look dramatic to force urgency. But it’s damage spreads from waistlines to blood sugar, blood pressure, productivity, and public budgets.
With 1 in 4 Indians already overweight or obese India’s obesity-related costs were estimated at nearly US$29 billion in 2019. Obesity is no longer a lifestyle issue sitting at the margins but a national development issue eating into the future of Indians.
That is why it was crucial for us to be part of Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) important and relevant 2nd National Obesity Summit 2026 in New Delhi in March. Arogya World’s Srabani Banerjee participated in a Plenary Session: Multisectoral Partnerships to Embed Healthy Lifestyle Approaches.
She shared that prevention has to reach people before disease does. That is the core behind our doorstep health model where we take diabetes prevention to people where they learn through Healthy Schools,
where they work through Healthy Workplaces,
as they browse on social media through mDiabetes and MyThali,
and through multisectoral collaborations in cities through programs like Arogya City. It is one prevention philosophy, delivered across the places that shape daily life.
What makes this approach credible is the scale and impact. The Healthy Schools Program has reached over 3 million children with a >15% improvement in diabetes awareness and risks while the Healthy Workplace Program that has certified >285 companies that have adopted healthy workplace practices and impacted over 9 million employees.
Through the panel, we reiterated that obesity prevention is not a health-sector side project. It sits at the intersection of schools, workplaces, urban planning, food systems, community engagement, and government leadership. |
