Srinagar, Nov 14: One in every two adults in Kashmir and Ladakh is obese, with nearly 8 out of every 100 having diabetes and 10 more classified as pre-diabetic. In addition, 30 out of every 100 residents are living with hypertension. These findings come from the latest data of the ICMR-INDIAB study, released on Thursday on the occasion of Word Diabetes Day at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar.
The study highlights a troubling trend of increasing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Kashmir and Ladakh. Data about the Jammu region had already been released last month and showed a higher prevalence (18.9 percent) of diabetes in the population.
The first-of-its-kind study reveals a significant region-wise and urban-rural divide in disease prevalence, pointing to distinct differences in lifestyle, healthcare access, and socio-economic conditions. Overall, 7.8 percent of the population in Kashmir and Ladakh has diabetes.
This number jumps dramatically in urban areas, where 13.1 percent of the population is affected, compared to 5.6 percent in rural regions.
Prediabetes, which signals a heightened risk of developing diabetes, affects 10.5 percent of the population, with urban areas showing a higher prevalence (15.1 percent) than rural ones (8.
6 percent). “These findings demonstrate that diabetes rates are not uniform across communities, pointing to the urgent need for tailored interventions,” Prof Muhammad Ashraf Ganie, the study’s principal investi.
