Post by Arogya World India Trust

India's latest national family health survey (NFHS-6) has a data point that just can’t be ignored. Nearly 1 in 3 women is now overweight or obese, and in our cities, it’s almost 1 in 2. These numbers haven’t appeared overnight. They have been built meal by meal, year by year long before this diagnosis. The right way to address this is to start young, when eating habits are being formed. And classrooms are our best bet to begin. In our Healthy Schools Program, we run a simple Healthy Tiffin Challenge activity. Every student brings one healthy meal from home. And the whole class showcases what they've packed. Suddenly every kid sees that healthy food is not limited by options and variety. One child's lunch becomes another child's meal idea. And thirty lunchboxes become a menu that the whole class can take home. In one activity, a class of teenagers understand something that many adults spend years decoding that a healthy meal is too much of work. This is why activity-based health education works. Children get to see health-first food, taste them and take the ideas home that become a family conversation. Our Healthy Schools program is primarily supported by our long-term grantor Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST) and we've seen measurable impact verified by Stanford CARE researchers on in increase in knowledge and more importantly behaviour change. Partner with us if you’re a school network, or a social impact leader that wants proven, effective diabetes prevention messaging, activities and outcomes in their existing school programs and interventions.