India's Obesity Paradox: Active help-seeking coexists with critical gaps in health risk awareness
New Delhi/ Mumbai/ Bengaluru, 4th March 2026 – Ipsos, one of the world's leading market research companies, reveals an obesity paradox in India: while people living with obesity are more likely than the 14-country study average to seek help for their condition, they are driven by self-blame and perceived stigma, and have a critically low awareness of obesity’s serious health risks.
The syndicated Global Perceptions of Obesity Study*, which compared perceptions of people living with obesity (3,094) and people not living with obesity (11,406) in 14 countries, highlights for India:
High Engagement Undermined by Critical Blind Spots About Risk
People with obesity in India are actively seeking solutions. They are more likely than the global average to have consulted a doctor about their weight in the past year (50% versus 35% globally). They are also far more likely to have tried a fad diet (53% versus 33% globally).
However, this high level of engagement is undermined by a lack of awareness about the associated health risks. Only 37% of people living with obesity associate obesity with a direct cause or strong contribution to type 2 diabetes, and only 39% to heart disease (versus 53% and 52%, globally).
People living with obesity who have consulted a doctor about their weight report that doctors in India are more likely than their global counterparts to recommend "vitamins, supplements or other non-prescription products" (42% vs. 26% globally) or to join a "weight management programme" (41% vs. 26% globally).
Intense Pressure from Self and Society
The theme of self-blame is strong in India. 61% of people living with obesity believe their condition is "preventable through personal choices“– slightly below the global average (66%).
However, three-quarters (75%) also agree that “diet and exercise alone can solve obesity for most people” (vs. 63% globally). This suggests that people living with obesity in India consider themselves responsible for both the condition and the solution.
The external, social burden is also substantially higher in India than the global average. Half (50%) of people living with obesity frequently feel self-conscious or embarrassed because of their weight (versus 35% globally), and 48% frequently feel anxious about how others see them (versus 36% globally).
A Particularly High Toll on Everyday Life
The negative impact of obesity on daily life is highly evident in India, with a significant 11-point gap in satisfaction with physical health between people living with obesity (59% satisfied) and those not living with obesity (70% satisfied).
Avoidance behaviours are also particularly pronounced: 82% of people living with obesity in India have avoided social, leisure, or romantic activities due to their weight – a full 12 points higher than the 14-country average of 70%.
Roberto Cortese, Head of Ipsos' Obesity & Cardiometabolic Disease Monitors, commented: "In India, we see a concerning paradox: people living with obesity are actively trying to manage their condition due to internal and perceived external pressures – but there is a misunderstanding about the nature of obesity as a disease, and associated risks like diabetes and heart disease. World Obesity Day is an opportunity to increase education and reframe the narrative: to view obesity not as a personal failing, but as a complex chronic disease deserving of attention, empathy and support like any other."
Gauri Pathak, Head of Ipsos Healthcare, India, said: “People living with obesity in India are significantly more likely to attribute obesity to genetics/ biology compared to their global counterparts. This may indicate more receptivity to medicalised treatments for obesity.”
