Lifestyle diseases among techies on the rise

The booming Indian economy has led to rising incomes and also another rather unfortunate rise-in lifestyle health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. Along with an increase in standard of living and urbanization, there has been a sea change in the way Indians work, live and eat. Long working hours, late night conference call with customers, frequent travel and the endless stress of meeting deadlines and work demands –some of the common features that dominate a techie’s life- has compounded the health problems.

Recently the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) said in a report that there could be a 20-fold increase in lost productivity due to health issues such as obesity, hypertension, heart disease and diabetes over the next decade if the country doesn’t take some kind of corrective action.

Here’s an idea of what this amounts to in terms of loss to the economy. Heart diseases, stroke and diabetes are estimated to have reduced India"s national income by $9 billion in 2005, and this could go up to $200 billion over the next 10 years if corrective action is not taken, say researchers.

What is also worrying is that Indians have been shown to be far more vulnerable to heart disease. The World Health Organization has said that heart ailments will account for 35 per cent of deaths among working-age residents from 2000 to 2030. This is quite high compared to 12 per cent in the US and 22 per cent in China. Given their hectic work atmosphere and lifestyles, IT industry professionals are especially at risk.

On more than occasion, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has stressed the health risk faced by the industry. “It"s the fastest-growing industry in our country, but it is most vulnerable to lifestyle diseases," Ramadoss said last year adding that its future growth could be stunted if the issue is not addressed.

The good news is that lifestyle diseases can be prevented if detected earlier and if necessary steps and regular check ups are undertaken. ICRIER notes in its report that even slight adjustments in lifestyle like eating responsibly, exercising, avoiding stress and sleeping well can help in managing these diseases so that individuals can lead normal lives.

Some companies have already taken cognizance of the issue and have initiated programs to deal with lifestyle diseases. Infosys for instance has a program called Health Assessment Lifestyle Enrichment or HALE, to reduce absenteeism and stress. Similarly Wipro has a counseling program called Mitr in place to take care of physical and mental well being of its employees in both IT and BPO divisions.

More than depending on companies to take care of employee health care it is up to the individual to make sure that he or she is making “healthy choices” when it comes to diet, exercise, work-life balance and personal habits.

Some tips:

• Have regular check-ups every year, especially if you are over 35 years old.
• Stick to a healthy diet, avoid snacking on junk food between meals
• Get exercise as much as you can. Besides active exercise time, adopt healthy practices such as taking the stairs instead of the lift; walking up to your colleague’s cubicle for a face-to-face meeting instead of the easier email/IM option, etc.