As the nation is all set to celebrate Children’s Day this Sunday, 14 November, a survey report conducted by Healpha revealed that about 90% of the children between the age group of 3 to 18 years old suffer difficulties related to ENT, and eye problems.
The survey was conducted across five leading states in India including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra over a period of 18 months pre-Covid in India by establishing contact with 64,615 parents, where it was found that a very few numbers of children have good health scores.
While an alarmingly high number of children suffer from cavities and plaque-related issues, a large number of children suffer from lifestyle issues like BMI.
“Significantly more girls are suffering from thyroid disorders than boys and lack of dental hygiene, unhealthy eating patterns have led to large numbers of children having dental problems,” revealed the survey report.
The key findings of the report disclose that 41% of children suffer from hygiene-related problems in the ear, 39% of children suffer from ear wax related issues reducing their focus on studies, 17% of tested children suffer from BP issues, 9% of tested children are at active risk of one-eyed blindness.
Not only this, 13% of all children suffer from respiratory issues while 22% of children suffer from tonsils.
“5% of tested girls and 4% of tested boys are at active risk of one-eyed blindness due to previously unidentified Lazyeye ailment. Additionally, 10% more of screened children already suffer from Anismetropia which can eventually lead to Lazyeye ailment and potential blindness in one eye,” mentioned the Healpha health report card.
The number of children suffering from ENT-related issues is certainly a serious concern given that ear hygiene and ear wax-related issues can result in hearing loss and infection.
Elucidating the views on the report, Raj Janapareddy, Founder & CSO, Healpha, said, “The Health Report Card is a reality check for parents, teachers, principals and the Government about the on-ground status of the health of children.”
He said, “In a population of 1.3 billion, 41% of the population are below 18 years. The report has revealed that we are moving towards a high working population but a very low healthy working population.”
He added, “While dental issues are not considered the top of the pyramid in priority order, issues like tartar, plaque and cavities can eventually impact gums, enamel, teeth bones and cause persistent bad breath.”
A simple technique to reduce incidences of dental issues apart from the commonly known better eating and brushing habits is to ensure that less food with food colouring is consumed.