Saqib Rather
Srinagar, May 15: Twenty years ago, hospitals in Kashmir were mostly crowded with patients suffering from infections, seasonal illnesses, and injuries. Today, doctors across the Valley say a different kind of health crisis is steadily growing—one caused not by viruses, but by changing lifestyles.
Diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, and fatty liver conditions are rising sharply across Jammu and Kashmir, affecting not only older adults but increasingly young people in their twenties and thirties.At the Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, endocrinology and cardiology departments now receive hundreds of patients every week for chronic lifestyle-related illnesses.
“Earlier we mostly saw these diseases among elderly people,” says a senior physician at the hospital. “Now even college students and young office workers are coming with hypertension, obesity, and uncontrolled blood sugar levels.”Doctors blame the rise on changing food habits, reduced physical activity, stress, smoking, and growing dependence on processed food.
Across Kashmir’s towns and villages, traditional diets based on vegetables, maize bread, and home-cooked meals are slowly being replaced by fast food, sugary drinks, bakery items, and heavily processed snacks. Long working hours and increasing screen time have further reduced physical exercise among young people.
In Srinagar’s busy commercial areas, fast-food outlets remain crowded late into the evening. Fried chicken, pizzas, burgers, and sugary beverages have become increasingly popular among teenagers and young adults.Twenty-eight-year-old Danish Ahmad from Anantnag says he never imagined he would be diagnosed with diabetes before turning thirty.“I used to skip breakfast, eat junk food daily, and sit at work for almost ten hours,” he says. “When I started feeling tired all the time, doctors found my sugar levels were very high.”
Health surveys conducted in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years have shown a worrying increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Officials say hypertension and diabetes are now among the most common conditions treated at primary health centres across the Union Territory.Obesity among children is also emerging as a major concern.Pediatricians report that reduced outdoor activity and excessive mobile phone use are contributing to weight gain among school-going children. Many parents say safety concerns, tuition schedules, and academic pressure leave little time for sports or physical activity.
“Children are spending more time indoors than ever before,” says a pediatric specialist in Baramulla. “Physical inactivity is becoming normal.”Doctors warn that untreated lifestyle diseases can lead to serious complications including heart attacks, kidney failure, strokes, and vision loss.Cardiologists in Srinagar say cases of heart disease among younger patients are becoming increasingly common. Smoking and stress, combined with unhealthy diets, are significantly increasing cardiovascular risk.
Women’s health experts are also seeing a rise in hormonal disorders and obesity-related complications among women, particularly in urban areas.
Despite the growing problem, awareness about preventive healthcare remains limited in many parts of Kashmir. Routine health check-ups are still uncommon, especially among rural populations.“Most people come to hospitals only after symptoms become severe,” says a doctor working under the National Health Mission. “Preventive healthcare culture is still weak.”
The government has launched screening programmes under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS). Health workers in many districts now conduct blood pressure and blood sugar screenings at community health centres and health camps.
Fitness awareness campaigns have also gained popularity, especially among youth groups promoting cycling, trekking, gym culture, and sports activities.Still, public health experts say long-term change will require more than awareness drives.Nutrition education in schools, stricter regulation of unhealthy food advertising, improved urban walking spaces, and community fitness programmes are among the measures experts recommend.
Nutritionists also stress the importance of returning to traditional Kashmiri dietary habits, including fresh vegetables, pulses, moderate rice intake, and reduced consumption of processed food.“Modern diseases require lifestyle solutions,” says a Srinagar-based dietician. “Medicine alone cannot solve this crisis.”As evening falls over the Valley, parks along Srinagar’s boulevard begin filling with joggers, elderly walkers, and young cyclists trying to adopt healthier habits.
For doctors, that sight offers a small sign of hope.Because while Kashmir’s lifestyle disease epidemic is growing quietly, many believe it can still be reversed—one healthier choice at a time.
