Keep phones away from kids, let them play to avoid obesity, says Kapil Dev

By Shalini Bhardwaj
New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev recently shared that obesity in children can be tackled by keeping the phone away from them and letting them play.
The former India World Cup-winning captain was present at an event on awareness of type 2 diabetes and obesity in India. He spoke to ANI and advised that people should spend at least one hour in a day on their fitness.
He said, "If you can't give your body a couple of hours or one hour in a day then it's your problem and I don't have to tell anybody, people are intelligent, sometimes awareness is not there"
When asked about increasing obesity amongst Indian children, he added, "Keep the phone away for a few hours in a day and let them play in the ground, that will help."
A global healthcare company in India has partnered with Kapil Dev to launch 'Break the Partnership' -- a campaign aimed at educating people with diabetes (PwD), their caregivers, and doctors about the grave influence of weight in type 2 diabetes (T2D).
One study shows that 67 per cent of the people with type 2 diabetes in India also live with obesity. Even a kg of reduction in weight can help reduce HbA1c by 0.1 per cent, thereby limiting the risk of diseases related to heart, kidney, and bones, and having a compounded positive impact on the health of the patient.
Every 7th person with diabetes in the world is an Indian and over 6 lakh individuals die every year due to diabetes in India (second only to China). The situation worsens when people living with diabetes are unable to manage their weight.
Announcing the launch of the campaign, Dev, the brand ambassador for Novo Nordisk India, said "I am glad to join Novo Nordisk in its effort to fight against diabetes. The 'Break the Partnership' #WeightinDiabetes campaign focuses on spreading awareness on the harmful association of diabetes and weight, which must be tackled with utmost importance. In cricket, a partnership between two batsmen can be very damaging for the opposing team, and a bowler is always looking to end it sooner than later."
"Similarly, the partnership of weight and diabetes can be injurious for patients and must be managed in time. It is important to bowl out impending complications before they stump you. Advances in science today allow for effective treatment options for type 2 diabetes that help with both blood sugar control as well as weight management. As a person with type 2 diabetes, I know that diabetes can be managed efficiently if we act in time and adhere to the right medication. I suggest and highly recommend that patients talk to their doctor about newer and progressive treatment options available for type 2 diabetes," he added. (ANI)