Mumbai: BMC 2021 survey nearly half of city populace overweight, 12 pc obese

Diabetes camp organised by BMC

On World Diabetes Day on November 14, BMC will be arranging diabetes and hypertension check-up camps in mobile vans, at railway stations, and malls in Mumbai. Furthermore, public awareness will be created through social media handles, billboards, banners, and radio jingles.

According to 2021 STEPS in Mumbai, conducted by BMC in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, nearly half of Mumbai (46 percent) is overweight, and 12 percent are obese. Moreover, this survey also noted that 8.3 per cent of individuals exhibited both hypertension and diabetes, a trend particularly observed among desk job holders and those overweight.

This January, the BMC launched a non-communicable disease (NCD) survey, targeting slums and similar settlements, conducted by Community Health Workers and ASHA workers. This survey is yet to be completed, and it has so far screened approximately 13 lakh people, identifying 12,000 with high blood pressure so far.

The civic body also screens relatives of patients visiting BMC-run hospitals at their walk-in NCD centres. Dr Daksha Shah, the BMC's Executive Health Officer, said, "From August 2022 till October 14, 247,185 individuals were screened for diabetes and hypertension." According to the latest BMC figures, 2,54,000 were screened there and over 23,000 suspected cases of hypertension were detected. Additionally, NCD centres also found 29,000 suspected cases of diabetes.