Mumbai, February 25: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently undertook a survey of the city to gauge the health and fitness levels of Mumbaikars. The survey conducted by the civic department revealed that Mumbaikars consume more salt then recommended. The survey also found that nine out of 10 Mumbaikars don't eat fruits or vegetables while two-thirds of the citizens don't exercise.

According to a report in Times of India, the the BMC's health department conducted the survey using a scientific method called STEPS (STEP-wise approach to Surveillance) survey, which has been devised by the World Health Organisation. The survey which gave a snapshot of the city's health also found that every third citizen of Mumbai has hypertension while every fifth person has diabetes. BMC to Conduct Sero-Survey to Find Out Extent of Coronavirus Spread in Mumbai.

As per the STEPS survey, about 8 percent of Mumbaikars have diabetes and hypertension. The STEPS survey was conducted from August to December 2021 and covered over 5,000-plus Mumbaikars. It was only on Friday that the civic body reveled the data of the survey.

Here’s What the STEPS Survey Revealed:

  • Mumbaikars consume double amount of salt then recommended

  • Nine out of 10 Mumbaikars don' eat fruits or vegetables

  • Two-thirds of the citizens don't exercise

  • Every third citizen of Mumbai has hypertension

  • Eight percent Mumbaikars have both diabetes and hypertension

  • Fifteen percent of the population is pre-diabetic

  • One in five Mumbaikars have raised levels of cholesterol

  • 46 percent Mumbaikars have BMI of over 25kg/m2

  • 12 percent of the citizens are obese

  • More women then men are obese

  • 12 percent of the population uses tobacco daily

During the survey, 74.3 percent of respondents revealed that they do not engage in any fitness or physical activity in their daily routine. Speaking about the STEPS survey, Dr Daksha Shah, BMC's joint executive health officer said, "We for the first time have a baseline of people' health in Mumbai." Swachh Survekshan Survey 2019: BMC Fails to Secure 3-Star Rating, Slips to 49th Rank.

On the other hand, Dr Sanjeev Kumar, additional municipal commissioner said that they have started screening people for hypertension and diabetes. "People will be diagnosed earlier and put on treatment as well," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 25, 2023 09:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).