Tackling Adolescent Malnutrition in India

Source: TH

Why in News?

The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) (2023-24) has highlighted the growing challenge of adolescent malnutrition in India, with a sharp rise in obesity, high blood sugar, and lifestyle-related diseases, emphasizing the need for school-based nutrition and physical activity interventions.

What is the Status of Adolescent Malnutrition in India?

Double Burden of Malnutrition: India continues to face persistent undernutrition alongside rapidly rising overweight and obesity , particularly among adolescents.

Rising Lifestyle Diseases (NFHS-6, 2023–24): Obesity increased to 30.7% among women and 27.3% among men , while the prevalence of high blood sugar rose to 17.8% among women and 20.9% among men , indicating worsening metabolic health. These issues are no longer just an "urban problem." Sedentary behaviors, stress, and processed diets are driving a steep increase in obesity and metabolic risks in rural adolescents as well.

Thin-Fat Phenotype: Many adolescents appear lean but have excess visceral fat and high metabolic risk , making them vulnerable to early-onset Type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases . According to the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) (2019) , 27.4% of adolescents are stunted , while many remain metabolically unhealthy despite appearing lean. Additionally, 35% of stunted children under five already have adult-level triglycerides , increasing their risk of early-onset diabetes and cardiovascular diseases .

Poor Dietary Patterns: Adolescents consume cereal-heavy diets with inadequate proteins, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products , while consumption of High Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS) foods and Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) is rising rapidly, with UPF consumption increasing by over 13.7% annually . Studies reveal a heavy reliance on cereal-heavy diets, while proteins, dairy, fruits, and green leafy vegetables fall far below the recommendations set by the Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 (which advise that half the plate by volume should be fruits and vegetables).

Growing Future Burden: A 2025 Lancet study projects that by 2050 , 21.8 crore men and 23.1 crore women in India will be overweight, with the steepest increase among the 15–24 years age group.

Physical Inactivity: Physical inactivity has become a major public health threat affecting both urban and rural adolescents. Excessive screen time and sedentary lifestyles are linked to poor dietary habits, increasing the risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases .

How can Schools Address Adolescent Malnutrition in India?

Skill-Based Learning: Schools should equip students with practical skills such as reading food labels, understanding portion sizes, and identifying misleading junk food marketing . Led by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) , the Let’s Fix Our Food (LFOF) consortium promotes healthier food environments through nutrition literacy and food label reading kits. In a landmark 2025 move, the CBSE has mandated over 24,000 schools to install "Sugar Boards" to raise awareness about the hidden sugar content in packaged foods and beverages. Schools should use interactive learning tools such as the NCERT–UNESCO "Let's Move Forward" comic book to improve nutrition literacy and raise awareness about healthy diets, hidden sugars, and physical well-being .

Healthy School Food Environment: Schools should create UPF- and HFSS-free campuses by implementing FSSAI 's Eat Right School Initiative , which promotes safe, healthy, and nutritious food through curricular and co-curricular activities, alongside healthy canteen policies. Schools must enforce FSSAI's 2020 regulations, which restrict the sale of foods High in Fat, Salt, and Sugar (HFSS) within 50 meters of school campuses. Platforms like PM POSHAN should promote protein-rich, millet-based balanced meals, while school gardens and fruit breaks can encourage regular consumption of fresh, seasonal produce and foster healthy eating habits from an early age.

Curriculum Overhaul: Nutrition education must shift from basic biology textbooks to practical, everyday life skills. Understanding macronutrients and micronutrients should be as fundamental as basic mathematics. Schools should make structured physical education and sports a core part of the daily curriculum , not optional activities. Regular physical activity can counter rising sedentary lifestyles and excessive screen time , which are linked to poor dietary habits and a higher risk of obesity and other non-communicable diseases .

Institutionalizing Periodic Health Screenings: Schools must move beyond basic height and weight tracking by integrating with the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) . By hosting periodic Adolescent Health and Wellness Days (AHD) on campus, schools can facilitate routine screening for early metabolic risks, Body Mass Index (BMI) deviations, and anaemia, ensuring prompt referrals to local primary health centres.

Community and Parental Engagement: Children often consume what is bought at home. Conducting parental awareness sessions on the dangers of UPFs and the necessity of dietary diversity is essential for sustaining school-taught habits.

Taxation and Advertising Regulations: On a macroeconomic level, the government must support school initiatives by imposing higher taxes on sugary beverages and strictly regulating surrogate advertising of junk food targeting minors.

Conclusion

Realising the vision of a Fit India requires transforming schools from centres of learning into hubs of preventive healthcare. Complementing blackboards with Nutrition Boards, UPF-free canteens, and mandatory physical activity can help prevent adolescent malnutrition and lifestyle diseases, ensuring that India's demographic dividend becomes a national asset rather than a future healthcare burden.

Drishti Mains Question: "Preventive healthcare must begin in classrooms rather than hospitals." Examine this statement in the context of adolescent nutrition and lifestyle diseases in India.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 1. What is meant by the 'double burden of malnutrition' in India?

India simultaneously facespersistent undernutrition and rapidly rising overweight, obesity, and lifestyle diseases, particularly among adolescents. 2. What is the significance of the FSSAI's Eat Right School Initiative?

The initiative promotessafe, healthy, and nutritious food environments in schools through nutrition education, healthy canteens, and curricular and co-curricular activities. 3. What are CBSE's 'Sugar Boards' and why are they important?

CBSE has directed over24,000 affiliated schools to install Sugar Boards to educate students about the hidden sugar content in packaged foods and beverages, encouraging healthier food choices. 4. How can schools help tackle adolescent malnutrition?

Schools can promotenutrition literacy, UPF-free campuses, balanced meals under PM POSHAN, mandatory physical activity, and periodic health screenings through RBSK, fostering lifelong healthy habits. 5. Why is the 'thin-fat' phenotype a growing public health concern?

Individuals with thethin-fat phenotype appear lean but carry excess visceral fat, increasing their risk of Type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases despite having a normal body weight.