Nutrition Profile for Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region with Different Income Levels: An Analytical Review

Abstract

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) is suffering from a double burden of malnutrition in which undernutrition coexists with rising rates of overweight and obesity. Although the countries of the EMR vary greatly in terms of income level, living conditions and health challenges, the nutrition status is often discussed only by using either regional or country-specific estimates. This analytical review studies the nutrition situation of the EMR during the past 20 years by dividing the region into four groups based on their income level—the low-income group (Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen), the lower-middle-income group (Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, and Tunisia), the upper-middle-income group (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Libya) and the high-income group (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates)—and by comparing and describing the estimates of the most important nutrition indicators, including stunting, wasting, overweight, obesity, anaemia, and early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding. The findings reveal that the trends of stunting and wasting were decreasing in all EMR income groups, while the percentages of overweight and obesity predominantly increased in all age groups across the income groups, with the only exception in the low-income group where a decreasing trend among children under five years existed. The income level was directly associated with the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among other age groups except children under five, while an inverse association was observed regarding stunting and anaemia. Upper-middle-income country group showed the highest prevalence rate of overweight among children under five. Most countries of the EMR revealed below-desired rates of early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding. Changes in dietary patterns, nutrition transition, global and local crises, and nutrition policies are among the major explanatory factors for the findings. The scarcity of updated data remains a challenge in the region. Countries need support in filling the data gaps and implementing recommended policies and programmes to address the double burden of malnutrition.

Is the Frequency of Postpartum Breastfeeding Counseling Associated with Exclusive Breastfeeding at Six Months? An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

“…The reasons for this downward trend in Saudi Arabia are frequently reported to be the wide misconception of low milk supply, going back to work after maternity leave, and maternal health condition [43][44][45]. Similarly, this trend is observed in other high-income countries of the gulf region (the United Arab Emirates initiation prevalence of 95.6% versus exclusive breastfeeding for those under six months of 44.3% [46], Qatar: 33.5% versus 29.3%, Kuwait: 49.9% versus 7.8%, and Oman: 82% versus 23.2%) [47]. The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a similar trend in 2019, with the initiation of exclusive breastfeeding being at 83.2% and then 24.9% at six months [48].…”

Trends in the burden and determinants of hypertensive heart disease in the Eastern Mediterranean region, 1990–2019: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

“…In Somalia, more than one in five people are severely food insecure and in need of urgent assistance. 37 Due to the remarkable role of salt intake on the incidence of HTN, and consequently HHD incidence, 38 , 39 there is a serious need to pay attention to improving dietary patterns, especially reducing salt consumption in this region as per the recommendations by the WHO. 40 Indeed, the WHO called for a 30% reduction in salt consumption by 2030 via a target of 5 g per day.…”

A higher education snapshot of nutrition degree programs in Iraq: implications for public health and nutrition practice

“…The burden of child malnutrition and food insecurity has been on the rise since the economic downfall associated with the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, the First Gulf War for the liberation of Kuwait and the multilateral UN sanctions regime during the 1990s (Muhialdin et al, 2021;Woertz, 2017Woertz, , 2019San Ahmed and Holloway, 2017;Gibson et al, 2012;Doocy et al, 2011). Malnutrition, a burgeoning global health problem, is defined as low or excess consumption of diet that can result in undernutrition, obesity and other diet-based noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or certain cancers (Sabeeh et al, 2022;Lepp€ aniemi et al, 2023). Malnutrition in children makes them susceptible to infectious diseases thus increasing mortality rates and hindering their physical, mental and intellectual development (Peng et al, 2020;Haidar et al, 2017;Chalabi, 2013;Ghazi et al, 2013).…”

“…Malnutrition, a burgeoning global health problem, is defined as low or excess consumption of diet that can result in undernutrition, obesity and other diet-based noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or certain cancers (Sabeeh et al. , 2022; Leppäniemi et al. , 2023).…”