In rural Arunachal Pradesh, 30.0% of men aged 15-49 are overweight or obese, according to the sixth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6, 2023-24). Across rural India, the figure for men is 23.0%. That is a seven-percentage-point gap, and it should guide where the state prioritises its weight checks.
The survey classifies adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 or above as overweight or obese. By that measure, nearly one in three adults aged 15-49 in the state is now above a healthy weight.
EastMojo’s July analysis of NFHS-6, Northeast’s health paradox: What NFHS-6 tells us, noted that Arunachal Pradesh is just below the national average for women but above it for men. Readers looking to compare states can find state-wise NFHS-6 figures in this compilation of obesity statistics.
The rural and urban figures in Arunachal Pradesh’s own fact sheet reveal something that the state average conceals. In urban Arunachal, 35.5% of men are overweight or obese, compared with 36.3% of men across urban India.
Urban women in the state fare better, with 34.9% above a healthy weight, well below the 42.8% recorded among urban women nationally. Rural women in Arunachal are also close to the national figure, at 26.3% against 25.5%.
The gap with the national average, therefore, is largely a rural one, particularly among men. A health programme that begins and concentrates on towns risks missing the population that needs greater attention.
State/UT Fact Sheets, IIPS (provisional, May 2026)
Among women, what stands out is the pace of change. In the previous round, NFHS-5, 23.9% of women aged 15-49 in Arunachal Pradesh were overweight or obese. In NFHS-6, the proportion rose to 29.3%, an increase of more than five percentage points.
Among men, the proportion increased from 27.6% to 31.8%. These figures come from two separate survey rounds involving different samples of adults. They indicate an increase in the proportion of adults above a healthy weight, not changes in the weight of the same individuals over time.
The survey also recorded random blood sugar levels. This is not a fasting test and cannot, by itself, establish a diagnosis of diabetes. Among women aged 15 and above in Arunachal Pradesh, the proportion with high or very high blood sugar readings, or those taking medication to control their blood sugar, rose from 8.4% to 11.2%.
The fact sheets, released in May 2026 by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), the nodal agency for the survey under the Union health ministry, are provisional.
The figures for men also need to be read with caution. The survey interviewed 2,749 men in Arunachal Pradesh, compared with 18,467 women. BMI, meanwhile, is only a measure of weight relative to height. The survey establishes the scale of the problem but does not explain its causes.
Underweight has not disappeared either. Some 5.8% of men and 6.8% of women aged 15-49 have a BMI below 18.5. The state is dealing with both ends of the nutritional spectrum, and its public health messaging must address both.
Messages about weight should not shame people. Instead, invitations to undergo health checks should be straightforward, accessible and practical.
Under the national programme for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the Union health ministry recommends annual screening for high blood pressure and diabetes among adults aged 30 and above.
The state health department should ensure that weight and waist circumference are also recorded during these screenings. Recording measurements on a health card, however, is useful only if health workers can explain what they mean in simple terms and refer people to doctors when necessary.
Screening must also reach villages and remote hill and border blocks rather than remain concentrated in district towns. The higher prevalence among rural men makes this particularly important. The monsoon months will further test any programme that relies on people travelling to health facilities for screening.
The national screening programme begins at 30, while the NFHS-6 weight data cover people aged 15-49. Reaching younger rural men will therefore require a separate approach, which the state should plan alongside its existing screening programme.
Publicly funded food is another area that deserves attention. Meals served in residential schools and hostels, as well as food available in government office canteens, could be reviewed with the help of nutritionists to ensure they meet basic nutritional standards.
NFHS-6 was designed to provide estimates at the district level, but those figures have not yet been released. A single state-level figure can conceal significant differences across a geographically dispersed state such as Arunachal Pradesh.
Once the district-level figures become available, the state health department should prioritise its most rural districts. It should then plan village-level screening block by block, beginning with communities located farthest from district headquarters.
Anyone concerned about their weight or health should consult a qualified doctor.
The author works at Zelta, a weight-care company in Bengaluru.
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