The Hindu Business Line : Bangalore not so `pink' on Tata AIG's radar

The HQ measures disorders linked to stressful and hectic urban living and is worked out on the basis of 25 questions devised in consultation with the Indian Medical Association, Mumbai.

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Bangalore Feb. 2 In the country's most happening city, all may not be too well with its citizens, if you go by their `HQ'.

Bangaloreans have scored a scary 58 on 100 on Tata AIG Life's health quotient (HQ) — and the number, its officials say, is way below the par `pink' value of 80.

So far, 7,000 of Silicon City residents have been randomly surveyed in its current hotspots — malls, supermarkets and commercial centres that mirror today's lifestyles.

The HQ measures disorders linked to stressful and hectic urban living and is worked out on the basis of 25 questions devised in consultation with the Indian Medical Association, Mumbai, according to Ms Sujata Dutta, Vice-President, Accident & Health, Tata AIG Life Insurance Co. Ltd, and Ms Neetasha Joshi, Vice-President and Zone Business Head, South.

The 58 score

"Bangalore barely makes it to the score of 58, thereby putting Bangaloreans in the unsatisfactory rating. There is a need for tremendous improvement in health as Bangaloreans are prone to a lot of health risks," the officials told a news conference on Thursday.

On the plus side, Bangaloreans are goody-goody if you go by their fewer hours of TV-watching, lower frequency of medication, eating more fruits and vegetables, surprisingly lower alcohol consumption but they fall behind due to fewer medical checks, sedentary living and gorging on junk foods.

Globally, Indians in general figure low in medical insurance policies, while the incidences of cancer, respiratory disorders and Parkinson's disease are rising, said Ms Dutta.

Taking stock

The first non-clinical attempt to fix a health benchmark is meant to nudge people into taking stock of the way they are living, the ailments they may be prone to and the changes they need to make to be healthy, said Mr Bimal Balasingham, Deputy CEO.

The survey began a couple of weeks back and Silicon City is the first to be sampled. Soon, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, cities in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the metros will follow.

Adding another dimension to checks of cholesterol, glycaemic levels and blood pressure, the HQ, according to Tata AIG officials, measures your physical activity level, eating, smoking, drinking and TV-watching habits, going so far as to gauge whether your home and office environments are happy, frequency of temper losses, social and family outings.

A happy soul will automatically have a sound mind and body, said Dr Sunita Kshirsagar, President of IMA-Mumbai.

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