Trends in overweight and obesity in Lebanon: evidence from two national cross-sectional surveys (1997 and 2009)

Abstract

BackgroundEven though the obesity epidemic continues to grow in various parts of the world, recent reports have highlighted disparities in obesity trends across countries. There is little empirical evidence on the development and growth of obesity in Lebanon and other countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Acknowledging the need for effective obesity preventive measures and for accurate assessment of trends in the obesity epidemic, this study aims at examining and analyzing secular trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity over a 12-year period in Lebanon.MethodsBased on weight and height measurements obtained from two national cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1997 and 2009 on subjects 6 years of age and older, BMI was calculated and the prevalence of obesity was determined based on BMI for adults and BMI z-scores for children and adolescents, according to WHO criteria. Age -and sex- adjusted odds ratios for overweight and obesity were determined, with the 1997 year as the referent category. Annual rates of change in obesity prevalence per sex and age group were also calculated.ResultsThe study samples included a total of 2004 subjects in the 1997 survey and 3636 in the 2009 survey. Compared to 1997, mean BMI values were significantly higher in 2009 among all age and sex groups, except for 6–9 year old children. Whereas the prevalence of overweight appeared stable over the study period in both 6–19 year old subjects (20.0% vs. 21.2%) and adults aged 20 years and above (37.0% vs. 36.8%), the prevalence of obesity increased significantly (7.3% vs. 10.9% in 6–19 year olds; 17.4% vs. 28.2% in adults), with the odds of obesity being 2 times higher in 2009 compared to 1997, in both age groups (OR = 1.96, 95% CI:1.29-2.97 and OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.67-2.43, respectively). The annual rates of change in obesity prevalence ranged between +4.1% in children and adolescents and +5.2% in adults.ConclusionThe study’s findings highlight an alarming increase in obesity prevalence in the Lebanese population, over the 12-year study period, and alert to the importance of formulating policies and nutritional strategies to curb the obesity rise in the country.

Review of the nutrition situation in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

“…Possible determinants of adult obesity in the Region include higher energy intakes, higher intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, larger food portion sizes, low intakes of fruits and vegetables, physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle, cultural norms and food subsidy policy (112,143,144). The escalating burden of adult obesity may have serious public health implications, given the positive associations between weight gain and NCDs (93,145), and that the Region already suffers from a high NCD burden, which accounts for > 50% of annual deaths (146). According to the WHO, deaths from NCDs were projected to increase by 25% between 2008 and 2018 in the Region, reflecting the second highest projected increase amongst the 6 WHO regions (147,148).…”

“…Available data suggest an increasing secular trend in the prevalence of adult obesity in most countries of the Region. This trend was more pronounced in countries such as the UAE (88,89), Tunisia (90,91), Afghanistan (44), Kuwait (92), Bahrain (78,93) and Lebanon (93).…”

Detection of Illicit Substances in Slimming Products Available in UAE

“…The mean costs per gram of sample from different countries versus sibutramine and phenolphthalein concentration were presented in Table 1 The most expensive slimming product; # The cheapest slimming product; ND -Nondetectable The permissible limit for sibutramine by FDA is 15 mg/day and use of phenolphthalein is completely banned. Slimming products have gained wide popularity in the recent past as obesity has reached epidemic proportions and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability [16][17][18][19]. In the present study, 60% slimming products were found to contain with sibutramine and/or phenolphthalein although they have been banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).…”

Overweight and Obesity Related Factors among Lebanese Adolescents: An Explanation for Gender and Socioeconomic Differences

“…The adolescents' obesity epidemic is not restricted to Western countries, but it is also increasing at an alarming pace in many developing countries [16] such as Lebanon [17][18][19][20][21]. The few studies conducted found that overweight and obesity prevalence is higher in boys than in girls [17,18,20,21].…”

“…The few studies conducted found that overweight and obesity prevalence is higher in boys than in girls [17,18,20,21]. However, no studies have investigated obesity-related factors.…”