Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Nearly half the teachers of Indore were found to be overweight and obese in the ‘Health of Indore’ survey covering 4,022 teachers of 51 prominent schools and colleges.
The data was compiled by Central Lab under the initiative of Sansad Sewa Sankalp. The blood samples taken to calculate the Body Mass Index showed that 31.60 teachers were overweight, 16.90 were obese, coming to 48.5 per cent, and 6.80 had low BMI.
Many teachers were found to be suffering from diabetes and increased levels of cholesterol. The tests found that 11.18 per cent of teachers were suffering from diabetes, and 9.43 per cent of them were not even aware of their disease.
Also, out of 15.89 per cent of teachers who had high cholesterol levels, only 1 per cent was aware of their condition.
Member of Parliament Shankar Lalwani and Central Lab director Dr Vinita Kothari released the report on Friday. They said they wanted to release the results before Teacher’s Day, and they have managed to do it.
MP Lalwani said that he has discussed the reports with Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and will also share the data with the ministry of health and family welfare as it will help come up with policies that encourage preventive measures.
"We are continuously conducting health surveys across the city with the help of administration and Red Cross Society led by Member of Parliament Shankar Lalwani. The health survey of teachers revealed that many of them needed a change in their lifestyle and medication in some cases,” said Dr Vinita Kothari of Central Lab
Tobacco, liquor addiction
The survey found that 8.40 per cent consumed tobacco in some form, and 5.80 consumed liquor. Around 15.6 per cent had suffered from Covid.
Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 deficiency
Surprisingly, 82.79 per cent had Vitamin D deficiency, while 29.83 per cent had Vitamin B12 deficiency. Most teachers were unaware of their condition.
36.29 % suffer from High BP
Over 36.29 per cent of the teachers were found to have high blood pressure and of them, 28.28 per cent were found to be at risk for stroke, heart attack, and other problems. Around 63.71 per cent had normal BP.
