A qualitative analysis of the Parliamentary questions on the issue of obesity raised over the past two decades in India

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major health issue that is drastically affecting the Indian population in the recent years. It is a major predisposing factor for non-communicable diseases. INTRODUCTION: The parliament is a powerful organization that holds sessions on regular basis and allows a question hour at the end of each session. Members ask varied questions on major issues and these documented questions are a valuable source of data for policy analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Questions on obesity were collected from the official websites of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and thematic analysis was done with inductive reasoning. Themes and subthemes were categorized and questions were coded into nodes using N Vivo software. RESULTS: A total of 134 questions on obesity were asked in both the houses, out of which 101 questions were from Lok Sabha and 33 questions were from Rajya Sabha. Majority of the questions were asked to the ministry of health and family welfare. Only a total of 48 unique parliamentarians from 13 states have asked questions on obesity in the past two decades. DISCUSSION: The questions were of competing interests with majority of questions on incidence of obesity. A number of questions on school and community based interventions were asked and new suggestions were given by members. Questions on BMI documentation of individuals and gender predisposition showed presence of awareness and knowledge among the members on obesity. Most of the existing policies are malnutrition based and obesity has not been adequately addressed. More questions with stronger representation from all states of the country can help in effective policy planning and implementation of programs to eliminate obesity.