Obesity in children in India has increased manifold, pushing them to an unhealthy life ahead, said doctors on World Obesity Day on Monday.

World Obesity Day is observed every year on March 4 to raise awareness about the condition and its implications.

“As a consultant physician, I've seen first-hand how India's health landscape is being reshaped by a troubling trend: an increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) not just among adults, but alarmingly, in children too. Conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers are now being diagnosed at younger ages,” Dr Vaishali Lokhande, general physician, Internal Medicine, Apollo Hospitals, said.

Data from the hospital shows that obesity in children tripled compared to five years ago. Hypertension, once rare in children, has nearly quadrupled.