Introduction & Objective: Understanding the awareness and behaviour of the public towards obesity can assist in implementing obesity management programs. Accordingly, this large-scale study evaluates the knowledge, attitude, and practice of individuals with different BMI statuses towards obesity awareness and management.

Methods: This pan-Indian study was conducted in the Asian-Indian population and responses to questions pertaining to their demographics, lifestyle habits, and awareness towards obesity and its management were collected. Comparison was made between different BMI groups classified using the Asian criteria: Underweight (<18.5kg/m2), Normal (18.5-22.9kg/m2), Overweight (23.0-24.9 kg/m2), and Obese (>25kg/m2). The data was expressed as proportions or descriptive statistics as applicable, and significance was calculated at α=5%.

Results: The survey included responses from 60325 individuals, with majority being obese (67.3%) or being overweight (15.3%). Overall distribution of gender (P<0.0001) and education status (P<0.0001) was significantly different across the groups. Majority of individuals with obesity (56.7%) considered obesity as a disease. The willingness to receive weight loss information was unaffected by their BMI status. A higher incidence of diabetes mellitus (P=0.0313) and dyslipidaemia (P=0.0206) was noted in individuals with obesity. Inclination to lose weight was highest in the group with obesity (69%), but all groups displayed similar weight loss efforts. Lifestyle habits facilitating obesity including longer idle times during weekdays (P<0.0001), weekends (P<0.0001) and higher frequency of eating out (P<0.0001) were significantly higher among the obese compared to the normal group.

Conclusion: The majority of the participants had obesity and their admission of obesity as a disease indicates its impact on the quality of life in the Indian population and the need for devising treatment strategies.

Disclosure

N. Kapoor: None. S. Ghosh: None. M.S. Chawla: Advisory Panel; Novo Nordisk. Speaker's Bureau; Novo Nordisk. Advisory Panel; Biocon. Speaker's Bureau; Biocon. Advisory Panel; Eris Lifesciences Ltd. Speaker's Bureau; Eris Lifesciences Ltd. Advisory Panel; Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Speaker's Bureau; Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Advisory Panel; USV Private Limited, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. J. Kesavadev: None. M. Anuj: None. S. Agarwal: None. B. Makkar: None. N. Deshpande: None.

© 2024 by the American Diabetes Association
2024
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