Background. The increasing rate of obesity among Kuwaiti adolescents is associated with immediate and long term-risks to their health and well-being.Objective.

Objective: The present study was designed to assess physical activity, sedentary behaviours and dietary habits among adolescents in Kuwait and to compare the differences between genders. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among secondary-school children who participated in the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS), a multi-centre collaborative project. Setting: Secondary schools in Kuwait. Subjects: Adolescents (463 boys and 443 girls), aged 14-19 years. Results: Nearly half (44?6 %) of the boys and three-quarters (76?0 %) of the girls did not meet the recommended daily physical activity levels ($2520 MET-min/week, moderate to vigorous intensity). Nearly all (96?3 % of boys and 96?7 % of girls) adolescents reported spending .2 h/d on screen time, with girls found to spend more time per day watching television (P 5 0?02) and using a computer (P , 0?001). The large majority of the adolescents reported skipping breakfast and not having milk and milk products, vegetables and fruit daily, while nearly two-thirds of the boys and girls had sugar-sweetened drinks on more than 3 d/week. Compared with girls, boys reported consuming more fruit (3?4 v. 2?8 times/week, P 5 0?001), dairy products (4?5 v. 3?6 times/week, P 5 0?001) and energy drinks (1?3 v.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to determine whether nutrition knowledge differs between male and female physicians working in Kuwait City, Kuwait. Design: The study employed a cross-sectional analysis of physician's nutrition knowledge by using a sixteen-item multiple-choice questionnaire. Setting: Governmental hospitals in Kuwait City, Kuwait. Subjects: One hundred Kuwaiti physicians (fifty males; fifty females) working in Kuwait City, Kuwait. Results: A response rate of 73 % was achieved (forty males; thirty-three females). The mean percentage of correctly answered questions was 60 %. The male and female physicians averaged 56 % and 65 % of correct responses, respectively (P 5 0?042). However, only for two questions did male and female physicians' scores differ significantly (P , 0?05). The two age groups (,40 years; $40 years) had equal mean total correct scores (60 %, P 5 0?935). Physicians' knowledge was greatest for topics that have received a great deal of media coverage in Kuwait. Most (70 %) of the physicians described their nutrition knowledge as 'moderate'. Conclusions: Physicians in Kuwait gave inaccurate information regarding common problems in Kuwaitis such as obesity, hypertension and osteoporosis. In view of the public's perception of the role of the physician in providing nutrition advice, it is imperative that nutrition and diet training be part of continuing medical education to bridge these deficiencies in physicians' knowledge.

Objective: To document food acquisition experiences during Iraqi military occupation in Kuwait. Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting: Urban areas in Kuwait during occupation. Subjects: Those living in Kuwait during the period of occupation, and aged between 15 to 50 years at the time of occupation, recruited by snowball sampling. A total of 390 completed questionnaires (response rate 78 %, 202 female and 188 male) were returned. Results: During the occupation, food became increasingly difficult to acquire. Two food systems emerged: (i) an underground Kuwaiti network linked to foods recovered from local food cooperatives and (ii) a black market supplied by food imported through Iraq or stolen locally. Food shortages led to reductions in meal size and frequency. Some respondents (47·7 %) reported not having sufficient income to purchase food and 22·1 % had to sell capital items to purchase food. There was a significant increase (P < 0·01) in home production, with 23·1 % of people growing vegetables and 39·0 % raising animals to supplement food needs. Reduction in food wastage also emerged as a significant self-reported behaviour change. Respondents reported deterioration in the quality and availability of fish, milk, and fruit in particular. Despite a decrease in opportunities for physical activity, most respondents reported that they lost weight during the occupation. Conclusions: Although the Kuwaiti population fell by about 90 % and domestic food production increased during the 7-month occupation, the local population continued to rely heavily on imported food to meet population needs. The high prevalence of self-reported weight loss indicates the inadequacies of this food supply. High apparent food security in systems which significantly exceed the ecological carrying capacity of the local environment and rely on mass food importation remains vulnerable.

This study investigated the accuracy of self-reported weight among Kuwaiti adolescents and the associations of self-reported weight and calculated BMI with the impact of media use on adolescent’s decision to lose weight and body thinness perception. A total of 706 Kuwaiti adolescents (363 females) 15–18 year-olds were randomly selected from schools. Weight and height were self-reported by the adolescents and measured by the researchers. A specifically designed questionnaire reported the impact of media use on adolescent’s decision to lose weight and body thinness perception. There were significant (p < 0.001) relationships between measured and reported weight (r = 0.947), height (r = 0.777), and calculated BMI (r = 0.623). Intraclass correlation coefficients (95% CI) between self-reported and measured weight and height were 0.973 (0.968–0.977) and 0.867 (0.839–0.891), respectively. The mean differences between self-reported and measured weight (1.26 kg) and BMI (0.478 kg/m2) were relatively small. Females under-reported their weight and the calculated BMI from estimated weight and height was underestimated by adolescents with overweight/obesity. The impact of media use on the adolescent’s perception of being thin relative to the accuracy of the calculated BMI was significant (p = 0.043–0.001). The age-adjusted odds ratio of the calculated (underestimated) BMI in adolescents without overweight/obesity was 0.437 (95% CI = 0.257–0.741; p = 0.002). It was concluded that the validity of self-reported weight was high. Adolescents with overweight/obesity were more likely to underestimate their weight and calculated BMI. Educating adolescents about proper lifestyles and weight loss through media appears warranted.