Amidst the ongoing societal and economic shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR), this study aims at investigating temporal trends in food consumption and nutrient intakes among Lebanese adults, by age and sex. Data were derived from two national cross-sectional surveys conducted in Lebanon during two time periods (1997; 2008/2009). In both surveys, dietary assessment was based on 24-h recalls. The results, expressed as % energy intake (%EI), revealed a significant decrease (p < 0.001) in the consumption of bread, fruits, fresh fruit juices, milk and eggs, whereas the consumption of added fats and oils, poultry, cereals and cereal-based products, chips and salty crackers, sweetened milk and hot beverages increased over time (p < 0.001). A significant increase in dietary energy (kcal/day) and fat intake (%EI) was observed, coupled with decreases in carbohydrate intake (%EI) and dietary density of vitamin A and vitamin C (per 1000 kcal) (p < 0.001). These changes were noted in both genders and across age groups, albeit there were some disparities between groups. In conclusion, based on national nutrition surveys, this study is the first to characterize the nutrition transition in a middle-income country of the EMR, shedding light on priority areas for nutrition policies and interventions.

In many countries of the Arab region, the demographic transition is already underway with a decrease in fertility and mortality and a rise in the proportion of older adults. Longer life expectancies and higher burden of non-communicable disease co-morbidities bring new health and social concerns to families, societies and governments. In a number of countries in the Arab region, this is compounded with political turmoil, forced displacement, dynamic migration flows and economic and social instability that deplete family cohesion and exhaust societal resources. Such challenges require systematic changes to healthcare and social services delivery. Amidst a number of strategies for interventions that aim at maximizing health and well-being in old age, we focus in this paper on three fundamental approaches that are largely lacking in the Arab region: an integrated and holistic model of healthcare, policies and programmes that incentivize ageing in place and homecare, and knowledge production addressing local concerns and priorities.

Introduction: Central obesity, as measured by waist circumference, performs differently across diverse localities, and there is a need to optimize gender-based cutoff points to specific ethnic and population groups. Material and methods: A total of 1,528 asymptomatic individuals free from cardiac disease aged 40 years and above and attending 25 primary health care centers distributed over the entire Lebanese territory were recruited for a cardiovascular risk screening service implemented by the Ministry of Public Health in 2012. Using receiver operating characteristics curve analyses, we evaluated different waist circumference cutoff points for the optimal combination of sensitivity and specificity that distinguish men and women with concomitant presence of impaired blood sugar and hypertension. Results: The optimal waist circumference cutoffs for prediction of the outcome were 98.5 cm in men and 91.5 cm in women, yielding better predictive characteristics than those recommended by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Based on the study values, the prevalence rates of central obesity in our sample (36.2% in males and 40.2% in females) were lower than those estimated using the IDF cutoff values (55.2% and 79.7%, respectively). Conclusions: Findings from this first examination of optimal central obesity cutoff points in Lebanon confirm the need for nationwide studies with more inclusive cardio-metabolic outcomes for the development of appropriate screening protocols.