With half of Kashmir, Ladakh obese, diabetes rising every year: Study

Srinagar, Nov 14: One in every two adults in Kashmir and Ladakh is obese, with nearly 8 out of every 100 having diabetes and 10 more classified as pre-diabetic. In addition, 30 out of every 100 residents are living with hypertension.

These findings come from the latest data of the ICMR-INDIAB study, released on Thursday on the occasion of Word Diabetes Day at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar.

The study highlights a troubling trend of increasing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Kashmir and Ladakh.

Data about the Jammu region had already been released last month and showed a higher prevalence (18.9 percent) of diabetes in the population.

The first-of-its-kind study reveals a significant region-wise and urban-rural divide in disease prevalence, pointing to distinct differences in lifestyle, healthcare access, and socio-economic conditions.

Overall, 7.8 percent of the population in Kashmir and Ladakh has diabetes.

This number jumps dramatically in urban areas, where 13.1 percent of the population is affected, compared to 5.6 percent in rural regions.

Prediabetes, which signals a heightened risk of developing diabetes, affects 10.5 percent of the population, with urban areas showing a higher prevalence (15.1 percent) than rural ones (8.6 percent).

“These findings demonstrate that diabetes rates are not uniform across communities, pointing to the urgent need for tailored interventions,” Prof Muhammad Ashraf Ganie, the study’s principal investigator, said.

He said that the low (2 percent) prevalence of diabetes and the high (16 percent) prevalence of prediabetes in Gujjar and Bakerwal tribes provide a window of opportunity for prevention in them as well as in the overall population.

Dean of the Medical Faculty at SKIMS and noted endocrinologist, Prof Shariq R Masoodi said that in 1999 the average BMI in Kashmir was ‘normal’ and obesity was just 15 percent, with women having 22 percent obesity.

The present study is the first where ‘real randomisation’ has been incorporated into the data and reflects the true face of diabetes and obesity in Kashmir and Ladakh.

“With over 50 percent of our population obese, serious health complications await us,” he said, stressing the urgent need for lifestyle modification.

In addition to diabetes, other metabolic disorders are more prevalent in urban regions.

Hypertension affects 32.4 percent of the urban population compared to 16.7 percent in rural areas.

Similarly, dyslipidemia – characterised by abnormal cholesterol levels - shows 88 percent prevalence in urban areas versus 81.3 percent in rural ones.

Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, was found in 46.3 percent of the urban population and 26.8 percent of the rural population.

These disparities underline the impact of urbanisation and sedentary lifestyles on health, with urban residents reporting higher inactivity rates – 80.6 percent compared to 85.7 percent in rural areas.

Furthermore, knowledge about diabetes complications varied significantly among participants, with only 50.9 percent to 79.6 percent awareness among those self-reporting as diabetic.

Conducted between July 2023 and January 2024, the ICMR-INDIAB study represents the most extensive cross-sectional survey on NCDs in India to date.

With over 2500 participants aged 20 and older from both urban and rural regions of Kashmir and Ladakh, the study utilised a meticulous multi-stage sampling method to ensure a representative sample.

The findings were shared on World Diabetes Day at an event held at the SKIMS Soura, highlighting the urgent need for a targeted public health response.

Prof Ganie emphasised the importance of the study, noting that its findings provide a foundation for understanding regional variations in NCD prevalence.

“This study is crucial for guiding health policies and interventions that are region-specific, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently and that prevention strategies are effective,” he said.