CHENNAI: Apollo Shine Foundation, the not-for-profit arm of Apollo Hospitals, has launched Catch 'Em Young, India's largest college health initiative aimed at preventing and tackling the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among youth.

The initiative was formally launched at the Women's Christian College (WCC) in the presence of Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhian and Thousand Lights MLA Ezhilan Naganathan.

The survey findings from the foundation’s decade-long college screenings have found that nearly 42 per cent of students screened were overweight or obese. The report highlighted that 4.5 per cent showed elevated blood pressure, 2.2 per cent had high blood sugar levels, and one in ten students had high triglycerides. Alarmingly, 30 per cent of students were found to be anaemic, with anaemia 13 times more common in girls.

Central obesity was identified in 10 per cent of them, highlighting how poor diets, sedentary lifestyles, and stress have already been impacting the health of youth.

Studies have found that one in nine individuals in India has the chance of developing cancer. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) claim 1.7 crore lives under the age of 70 every year.

It is to be noted that many such deaths are reported in low and middle-income countries, including India. NCDs have led to 66 per cent of total deaths in India.

Through this initiative, the foundation has set a target to screen one lakh college students this year. The screening will go beyond BMI, blood sugar, and blood pressure and include parameters like waist circumference, haemoglobin, HbA1c, and triglycerides, facilitating early identification of risks and guiding students toward preventive care.

“Around 15 years ago, people used to screen for diseases after the age of 55. However, at present, even college students have to be screened as they have become vulnerable to various lifestyle diseases due to unhealthy habits,” said Ezhilan during the event.