55 Pct of India's IT Workforce Have Lifestyle Disorders

Almost 1,600 respondents said that they have relocated to the cities for professional reasons and live independently along with their colleagues/peers at a rented accommodation, due to which they tend to eat more of junk food stuff sold at office cafeteria and across local markets near their offices, reported Deepti Rajan for RTN.

Mr D.S. Rawat, national secretary general of ASSOCHAM said “Excessive intake of junk food, lack of physical exercise, long working hours, lack of sleep together with unbound mental fatigue is telling on the health of BPO and IT professionals in the city, most of who gorge on food served outside and this might have detrimental consequences on employees’ health in the long run.”

About 35 percent of the total respondents who eat junk food said that they visit doctors at least twice a month with complaints of stomach ache, bloating, acidity, gas afflicts and burning sensation, improper stool passage, constipation and diarrohea. Many said that no fixed meal hours and non-stop telephonic sessions were causing gastric problems along with fatigue and headaches.

Nearly 15 percent of respondents said that work related stress has also led them to compulsive habits like alcohol abuse, substance abuse, smoking and chewing tobacco, causing an unfavorable effect on digestion process.