I recently went to my hometown, where I was born and raised. It was like a village at my young age, but it has become like a town in recent years. It was a marriage ceremony, so I had to stay in my hometown for four days. I was very nostalgic going to my hometown, wishing to meet all my old friends and relatives.
I was surprised by the rapid economic development that improved society’s affluence. I, currently working in a city, and being in the healthcare, I was under the impression that city people are more ill than country people. The situation over there was different. It was a shocker for me to see things have changed dramatically over there. I will list down the things that I saw in my hometown.
1. My relatives, who were thin and slim, had become fat and puffy. I found that being obese is also directly proportional to their economic situation.
2. Most of my relatives have diabetes and hypertension and are happily taking pills.
3. My so-called village has got many eateries and fast-food outlets. Olden days, you could hardly see any restaurants in my hometown. Now, every 100 meters, you have one eatery.
4. The food pattern is completely changed. Close to 90% of the food is carbohydrate source. All have become ferocious rice eaters. People eat more because the food is tasty, served in many varieties, and has a good presentation.
5. Online food ordering and home food delivery system has established itself well there. So you don’t have to walk to the restaurant. It’s available in a tap of their smartphone.
6. The food items ranging from Mcdonald’s french fries, burgers and pizzas are abundantly available.
7. Every house has one to two two-wheelers, and many also possess cars. So obviously, the amount of walking has become too little. Earlier, we used to walk everywhere, as we never had motorized two-wheelers. Now, the walking habit is gone completely.
8. More than 70% of my people are either obese or diabetic or hypertensive or metabolically unhealthy.
9. Arthritis knee, plantar fasciitis and antalgic gait have become so common even though most are middle-aged.
10. When your relatives know you are a doctor, they ask for a quick consultation and quick remedy with a pill to cure their ailments without wanting anything to change their lifestyle.
The economic growth, globalization of the food industry, Digital technology, Digital marketing, Digital money transactions, glamorization of food, emotional eating habits, and easy access to food are reasons why my village has become unhealthy nowadays. In the olden days, people rarely died
of heart attacks, but now a cardiac care speciality hospital is functioning in my native place. This proves how the lifestyle has changed even in the rural environment. It seems like we have become a victim of our inventions.
Nowadays, the problem of surplus is more than the problem of scarcity. It’s time to act.
Dr. Rajkannan. P, PT
Director, APTER Institute, Bangalore