MS Ramaiah University Study Finds High NCD Risks in Karnataka Teens

A new study by researchers from MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences in Bengaluru has revealed that 95% of surveyed school-going adolescents in Karnataka carry at least one lifestyle-related risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The study assessed 1,100 students aged 13 to 16 years across eight schools, divided equally between Bengaluru and Chikkaballapura, finding that 86% of the teenagers carried two or more risk factors.

Published in Osong Public Health Research and Perspectives in 2026, the study was conducted by Dr Tejaswini Bangalore Darukaradhya, Dr Krishnamurthy Jayanna, Dr Shivaraj Nallur Somanna, Dr Sony Sequeira, and Dr Shalini Chandrashekar Nooyi. The team evaluated dietary habits, physical activity, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption against World Health Organization recommendations, analyzing how socio-demographic factors and family backgrounds influence these risk behaviors.

Inadequate fruit and vegetable intake alongside physical inactivity emerged as the most widespread concerns across both urban and rural schools. However, urban adolescents in Bengaluru faced a significantly higher burden. Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption was reported by 96.7% of urban students compared to 67.7% in rural areas, while physical inactivity affected 96.7% of urban teenagers versus 68.6% of rural students.

Dr Somanna noted that urban adolescents experience greater risk due to increased access to fast food, higher screen time, and sedentary routines between home and school. The study also highlighted strong co-occurrence of unhealthy habits: physical inactivity co-occurred with low fruit and vegetable intake in 71.7% of cases and with junk food consumption in 72.8%, marking the strongest behavioral pairings observed in the research.

In contrast, substance use showed a reversed pattern across regions. Tobacco use was nearly twice as common among rural adolescents at 11.5%, compared to 5.6% among urban students. Similarly, alcohol consumption was reported by 10.8% of rural students compared to 5.6% in urban areas. Researchers attributed this trend to weaker regulation and greater social acceptance of substance use in rural settings.

The researchers also discovered a link between maternal education and adolescent dietary habits. Dr Tejaswini explained that teenagers whose mothers completed secondary school, but did not pursue higher education, were more likely to consume unhealthy diets than those whose mothers had no formal schooling, likely reflecting changing food environments and processed food availability in households.

To address these overlapping health risks, the researchers argue that schools are the most practical setting for comprehensive interventions grounded in social cognitive theory. Their recommendations include integrating daily physical activity into school timetables, embedding health education into the curriculum, and directly engaging mothers through structured programs to build self-efficacy and promote healthier environments.