TY - JOUR
T1 - The prevalence of overweight and obesity in an adult Kuwaiti population in 2014
AU - Weiderpass, Elisabete
AU - Botteri, Edoardo
AU - Longenecker, Joseph C.
AU - Alkandari, Abdullah
AU - Al-Wotayan, Rihab
AU - Duwairi, Qais Al
AU - Tuomilehto, Jaakko
N1 - Funding Information:
The STEPS survey was funded and conducted by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health and supported by the World Health Organization.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2019 Weiderpass, Botteri, Longenecker, Alkandari, Al-Wotayan, Al Duwairi and Tuomilehto. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Background: According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, Kuwait is ranked amongst the top countries in the world in obesity prevalence. This study aims to describe the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and various types of adiposity in Kuwaiti adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study of 3,915 Kuwaiti adults aged 18–69 years used the STEP-wise approach to surveillance of non-communicable diseases, a WHO Instrument for Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance. We assessed demographic information, lifestyle, personal and family history of diseases and physical measurements (height, weight, waist, and hip circumferences). All participants with valid height and weight measurements (n = 3,589) were included in the present analysis. Overweight was defined as BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2 and obesity as BMI ≥30 kg/m2. Results: Obesity prevalence was 40.3% [95% confidence interval, 38.6–42.0%] (men, 36.5%; women, 44.0%); and overweight prevalence was 37% [35.4–38.7%] (men, 42%; women, 32.1%). The median BMI was 28.4 kg/m2 among men and 29.1 kg/m2 among women. Obesity prevalence was directly associated with female sex, age, history of diabetes, and being married in both men and women; and was inversely associated with education level in women. The prevalence of elevated waist-to-hip ratio was 46.9% among men and 37.9% among women. Waist circumference, waist-hip and waist-height ratios were directly associated with diabetes in both men and women, and inversely associated with education level in women. Conclusion: Almost eight in ten Kuwaiti adults were overweight or obese. Urgent public health action is warranted to tackle the obesity epidemic in Kuwait.
AB - Background: According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, Kuwait is ranked amongst the top countries in the world in obesity prevalence. This study aims to describe the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and various types of adiposity in Kuwaiti adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study of 3,915 Kuwaiti adults aged 18–69 years used the STEP-wise approach to surveillance of non-communicable diseases, a WHO Instrument for Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance. We assessed demographic information, lifestyle, personal and family history of diseases and physical measurements (height, weight, waist, and hip circumferences). All participants with valid height and weight measurements (n = 3,589) were included in the present analysis. Overweight was defined as BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2 and obesity as BMI ≥30 kg/m2. Results: Obesity prevalence was 40.3% [95% confidence interval, 38.6–42.0%] (men, 36.5%; women, 44.0%); and overweight prevalence was 37% [35.4–38.7%] (men, 42%; women, 32.1%). The median BMI was 28.4 kg/m2 among men and 29.1 kg/m2 among women. Obesity prevalence was directly associated with female sex, age, history of diabetes, and being married in both men and women; and was inversely associated with education level in women. The prevalence of elevated waist-to-hip ratio was 46.9% among men and 37.9% among women. Waist circumference, waist-hip and waist-height ratios were directly associated with diabetes in both men and women, and inversely associated with education level in women. Conclusion: Almost eight in ten Kuwaiti adults were overweight or obese. Urgent public health action is warranted to tackle the obesity epidemic in Kuwait.
KW - Body mass index
KW - Kuwait
KW - Middle East
KW - Obesity
KW - Overweight
KW - Prevalence
KW - WHO STEPS survey
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U2 - 10.3389/fendo.2019.00449
DO - 10.3389/fendo.2019.00449
M3 - Article
C2 - 31338067
AN - SCOPUS:85069509123
SN - 1664-2392
VL - 10
JO - Frontiers in Endocrinology
JF - Frontiers in Endocrinology
IS - JULY
M1 - 449
ER -