Importance Of Building Healthy Habits In Kids | Abbott India| Sesame India

0:00 Is roti dal chawal healthy food? Yes, they said yes. But is samosa chow mein or chips is healthy food? They said yes.

0:08 And that's why this discussion today with Abbott and the Sesame Workshop is just very, very meaningful and something that we wanted to bring at the forefront. Why is early childhood such a critical window to building healthy habits?

0:21 More than 100 million people in India are diabetic. Almost more than 135 million Indians are either OB or at a risk of obesity. So Abbott's collaboration with Sesame Workshop had an intent of enabling these children in the age group of three to five to have healthier lives, live life to the fullest when they grow up. Because that's when if you start eating healthy, that's nutritious diet, have better physical activity and more importantly, good sleep.

0:55 How can storytelling and beloved characters like Elmo help children understand some serious topics around health and nutrition?

1:03 Play based pedagogy is the strategy of Sesame Workshop India. And this is why tools like storytelling games with the children videos come in very handy. You need to know how children learn. They learn through imagination. You have to appeal to the level of.

1:21 We're very lucky to have both Dr. Jayanti and Dr. Rohita here today. Some of the information and some of the work that both Dr. Rohita and Dr. Jayanti have done in this space is commendable. I'm sure each one of you guys have got this book with you at the registration desk. When you combine information with characters and play like this, it becomes just so easy for our children to learn and absorb. And that is exactly the purpose of this book.

1:49 And I'm going to leave it to the two experts to do a lot more talking than me. But just a quick check on. India is now a home to over 100 million people living with diabetes. And nearly one in five urban children in India are overweight or at risk. But here's what's most important. The foundations for lifelong health are built very early, between the ages of 3 and 5. By age 5, almost 80% of the child's brain development is complete.

2:19 And that's why this discussion today with Abbott and the Sesame Workshop is just very, very meaningful and something that we wanted to bring at the forefront. Abbott and Sesame Workshop globally are teaming up to help kids and families build healthy habits around sleep, nutrition and movement. And I'm so happy that it's a combination of the three of them. In India, Abbott and Sesame Workshops are sharing resources to help make health concepts easy and simple to understand and practice, while also connecting with millions of families and through digital platforms including Sesame India, social channels and related resources.

2:56 Because preventing chronic diseases doesn't begin in adulthood, it begins in childhood, it begins at home and it begins with small everyday step. A huge round of applause to if I can ask the audience for bringing this at center stage. So thank you so much. Dr. Rohit, I'm going to start with you. India seeing a rise in diabetes and lifestyle related diseases even among children. Why is early childhood such a critical window to building healthy habits?

3:24 Thank you Mansi for the question. Before I begin, I'll just give all of you all a brief. Abbott is a global leader in health care and it spans across devices, diagnostic, nutrition, pharmaceuticals and when I say pharmaceuticals, management of chronic illnesses is one space. Abbott has been working for almost over a century. More than 100 million people in India are diabetic and if I have to talk about another non communicable disease, it's obesity.

3:57 So it's Almost more than 135 million Indians are either obese or at a risk of obesity. So Abbott's collaboration with Sesame Workshop had an intent of enabling these children in the age group of three to five to have healthier lives, live life to the fullest when they grow up. Because that's when if you start eating healthy, that's nutritious diet, have better physical activity and more importantly good sleep can be helping them not have these kind of non communicable diseases when they grow up.

4:37 Thank you, thank you for that. Dr. Jayanthi. How can storytelling and beloved characters like Elmo help children understand such serious topics around health and nutrition? And I'd love for you to share your experience while working with Anganwari children.

4:51 Yeah. Thank you. Thank you Mansi. So Sesame Workshop India works globally and is working in the area of early childhood education for zero to eight years. And we in India work as non profit working with aganwadi centers, you know, health, health departments or education departments of the country. But more importantly, what I would like to say here, that our content is cuts across all the income groups or the communities.

5:22 Why? Because we speak to the children. We speak to all children. It is children. Elmo and Chamki are themselves talking their children talking to children and that is why children identify with them and they do so in a playful manner. Play based pedagogy is the strategy of Sesame Workshop India. Everything that we do has a play centered approach and a fun element. Now Sesame is known for producing its content globally and many of its resources you can find on sesame workshop India's YouTube channel.

6:00 Elmo and Chamki are the most favorite Muppets that we have. Now coming back to the physical activity and sleep. When we started to talk to children about what, what they are thinking about physical activity or sleep or nutrition, we were surprised to know various things. And storytelling came as one of the strategies to give give children the best start as parents. It is relevant for you because the kind of habits that you put in, the kind of behaviors you model during this age, they are going to be carried lifelong by the child.

6:37 India is becoming house to obese children now and children are becoming pre diabetic. They're getting onto that range. They are, which is why it is so important to focus on these things which gets missed. And this is why tools like storytelling games with the children. Videos come in very handy because children, you need to know how children learn. They learn through imagination, through play to actively engage in activities.

7:08 And if in that language you speak to them, they will really identify and follow those practices. If you, if you just ask your children, okay, these are not healthy, don't eat it. No child is going to listen to you. But if you follow that route where their favorite characters is modeling have healthy habits, then they definitely like to follow.

7:31 How does this align with an overall long term mission? And are we talking of books in ages of screenshots?

7:39 That's a very nice question. Abbott's collaboration with Sesame Workshop is concerned this entire collaboration. For example, if I have to tell you, we launched the premiere movie, it's a 26 minute movie of Elmo's World, the dance party. Okay. And since it's India, it had to be culturally adapted to the Indian audience. So it was even in Hindi. It was launched in Hindi in Jan 2026. So Elmo gives the messaging around eating good food, having good physical activity and a sound sleep.

8:11 Trust me, this entire collaboration, there are resources on the digital platform and Abbott has launched it in US and Brazil and Mexico now in India so that the digital resources reach wide across the country and parents along with their kids come together, watch it, learn it and ensure that that healthy habits are inculcated in their children so that you can prevent non communicable diseases.

8:39 I absolutely love the fact that the languages are added and I'm looking forward to more languages because I think that's one part that I think, you know, will just open more roads to cultural relevance.

8:53 Absolutely.

8:55 Also, Dr. Jayanthi, does cultural relevance matter? Like have you guys integrated different cultures into the film?

9:00 Any content that we create has a element of cultural relevance. It means that we respect the kinds of food that are available, the diet, the dietary habits that we have, the ways of dressing, the context. So everything is figured into the content. Even if you're watching the global content, if it's meant for India, it will have some Indian elements which are deliberately put in so that children identify it with it.

9:30 I would also like to share some of the findings that we had when we were researching in Lucknow. And this is where our on ground program on physical activities, nutrition and sleep is ongoing right now. Because that brought in the level of cultural contextual element to our content. What we found out that the children, when we asked the children what is healthy and these are children between the ages of 3 to 6 years of age, what is roti dal chawal?

10:05 Healthy food? Yes, they said yes. But is samosa, chow mein or chips is healthy food? They said yes, everything is yes for them.

10:13 I didn't know that.

10:14 And that was a very interesting find it because then it drove the content the way it is become. Now. We ask the parents, have you ever explained what does it mean to have a balanced diet to the child? One, the parents are generally unaware of what, what is a balanced diet? Second, how much should a child eat? Either the child is eating with the parents in his, her or own thali or the child is eating by themselves but without figuring out whatever or how much the child is eating.

10:47 Third, most important finding that we had is children are having one to two full meals a day. Now, as per nutritionist or as per the guidelines, the child should be having three meals a day. You know, why are we on a, you know, on a malnutrition journey of children? Because on the one end of the spectrum is the obesity, the other end of the spectrum is the malnutrition. Both are malnutrition. Obesity is also malnutrition.

11:18 But it's on the other end of the spectrum because the child having more of carbohydrates and fats rather than the vitamins and the minerals, you have to appeal to the level of the child.

11:29 Right. So if I have to sum up what you said, one is explanation of what is healthy, that is important, the portion size. And the third one has to be on no. And they're not having three full meals, which is what they should ideally be. I have to ask this to the both of you, which is if you have to give a concluding message today that everyone, every single parent here remembers, what would it be and where can they access this material?

11:56 Okay, I think I'll go first. If that's okay. I have a message which has three parts and it sounds as repetitive as it is. All of us know it. But talking to our kids in a fun based learning mode, simple activity mode, is very critical. First, being good nutrition, healthy eating. Second, good physical activity. And third, a sound sleep. These are the three most important things for a child in his formative, in his or her formative years so that when they grow up, when they are the future, they are living life to the fullest.

12:36 So that's what I have to say.

12:37 Mansi, Dr. Jayanti, any closing remarks?

12:40 Yeah, I would say. See, parents are the models for children. And as parents we need to adopt those habits so that children follow them. One is explaining them at their level as to how you can have a healthy diet. What differentiates healthy diet from a non healthy diet? When we researched with the parents, we found out that parents were refraining children from going outside and playing. Why? Because of the safety issues. Even I don't send my daughter outside to play because unless somebody is there with her.

13:12 So if you don't have time, then the children are not playing outside. And as per our research, they are preferring to play more indoor games. Now this is not a very good sign. Parents can engage with children at least 10 minutes a day. Start with it. You can do some activities at home. Thirdly, sleep routine. It's very important what we found out that children are because of the screen time at night, they are not sleeping at as per the time.

13:45 And I think most of you will have problems when you wake up children in the morning. Why is that? Because children need at least 10 to 12 hours sleep. But if they are following adult routine, which is where they are sleeping at the time when the parents are sleeping, which is going to create a difficulty not in just getting up, but also in their growth and development. So sleep routine has to be followed. For example, just keep the screen away for half an hour before you're going to sleep.

14:14 Dim the lights, play some music, talk to the child, sing lullabies, say stories, bond with the child during that time. And that is also will be the most de stressing time from you because I can tell that from my own experience that is the best half an hour time of my day, of my busy day.

14:34 Oh, absolutely. I'd never miss bedtime for anything else. On that note, thank you so much to the both of you for being here today and sharing the incredible work that you guys are doing and doing it at the grassroots level. So thank you so much for parenting tips, celebrity interviews, recipes conversations with experts, DIYs and lots more. Subscribe to Kids Stop Press now.