The latest health survey highlights a alarming increase in diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity in Karnataka, driven by urbanisation, sedentary lifestyles, and poor diets, raising concerns over long-term health impacts.
Karnataka is facing a sharp rise in long-term health conditions linked to modern lifestyles, with the latest National Family Health Survey showing steep increases in diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity over the past decade. In the 2023-24 survey, diabetes prevalence was put at 22.3% among women and 26.1% among men, compared with 3.2% and 3.7% respectively in 2015-16. The same survey showed hypertension rising to 25.1% for women and 28.2% for men, while obesity climbed to 41.2% among women and 36.4% among men.
Health specialists say the pattern reflects the state’s rapid urbanisation, more sedentary work and less daily physical activity, alongside diets heavier in processed food, salt, sugar and fat. Reports from Bengaluru also suggest the burden is especially visible in urban areas, where men are recording higher blood pressure rates and women are seeing sharper growth in obesity.
The Karnataka figures fit a wider national warning sign. An Indian Council of Medical Research survey published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology found that about one in 10 people in Karnataka has diabetes and one in three has hypertension, underlining how strongly non-communicable diseases have taken hold in the state. Separate NFHS-6 reporting has also pointed to rising high blood sugar and obesity across India, not just in Karnataka.
Public health experts have warned that the trend raises the risk of heart disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease if it is not checked early. Karnataka’s health minister, U T Khader, said the government is offering free screening and medicines for blood pressure and diabetes, but acknowledged that many patients do not take prescribed treatment regularly. Doctors say the most effective response remains simple but sustained: earlier diagnosis, routine check-ups, better diets, regular exercise and consistent use of medicines.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
