Regional variation in prevalence of overweight and obesity in Saudi children and adolescents

There are limited data on regional variation of overweight and obesity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the aim of this report is to explore the magnitude of these variation in order to focus preventive programs to regional needs. Community-based multistage random sample of representative cohort from each region. the study sample was cross-sectional, representative of healthy children and adolescents from 2 to 17 years of age. Body mass index [BMI] was calculated according to the formula [weight/height[2]. The 2000 center for disease control reference was used for the calculation of prevalence of overweight and obesity defined as the proportion of children and adolescents whose BMI for age was above 85[th] and 95[th] percentiles respectively, for Northern, Southwestern and Central regions of the Kingdom. Chi-square test was used to assess the difference in prevalence between regions and a P value of <0.05 was considered significant. The sample size was 3525,3413 and 4174 from 2-17 years of age in the Central, Southwestern and Northern regions respectively. The overall prevalence of overweight was 21%, 13.4% and 20.1%, that of obesity was 9.3%, 6% and 9.1% in the Central, Southwestern and Northern regions respectively indicating a significantly-lower prevalence in the Southwestern compared to other regions [P<0.0001]. This report revealed significant regional variations important to consider in planning preventive and therapeutic programs tailored to the needs of each region

Prevalence of short stature in Saudi children and adolescents

Data on stature in Saudi children and adolescents are limited. The objective of this report was to establish the national prevalence of short stature in Saudi children and adolescents. Community-based, cross-sectional study conducted over 2 years [2004, 2005] The national data set of the Saudi reference was used to calculate the stature for age for children and adolescents 5 to 18 years of age. Using the 2007 World Health Organization [WHO] reference, the prevalence of moderate and severe short stature was defined as the proportion of children whose standard deviation score for stature for age was less than -2 and -3, respectively. In addition, the 2000 Center for Disease Control [CDC] and the older 1978 National Center for Health Statistics [NCHS]TWHO references were used for comparison. Using the 2007 WHO reference, sample size in the Saudi reference was 19372 healthy children and adolescents 5 to 1 7 years of age, with 50.8% being boys. The overall prevalence of moderate and severe short stature in boys was 11.3% and 1.8%, respectively; and in girls, 10.5% and 1.2%, respectively. The prevalence of moderate short stature was 12.1%, 11% and 11.3% in boys and 10.9%, 11.3% and 10.5% in girls when the 1978 WHO, the 2000 CDC and the 2007 WHO references were used, respectively. The national prevalence of short stature in Saudi children and adolescents is intermediate compared with the international level. Improvement in the socioeconomic and health status of children and adolescents should lead to a reduction in the prevalence of short stature

Effects of education of the head of the household on the prevalence of malnutrition in children

To explore the effect of the educational level of the head of household on the prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi children. The study was conducted over 2 years in 2004 and 2005 in all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA]. The design consisted of a stratified multistage probability random sampling of the population of the KSA. The educational level of the heads of the household, and measurements of weight and height of the children were obtained during house visits. Nutritional indicators in the form of weight for age, height for age, and weight for height for children below 5 years of age were determined, and the prevalence of each indicator below -2 standard deviations [SD] was calculated for each level of education. The sample size was 7390 in the weight for age, 7275 height for age, and 7335 for weight for height. The prevalence of underweight [weight for age below -2 SD] increased from 7.4% for the university level to 15.2% in the children of illiterate heads of household. Similar patterns were found for the prevalence of stunting [height for age below -2 SD] and wasting [weight for height below -2 SD]. This study demonstrates that the higher the education level of the heads of the household, the lower the prevalence of malnutrition in their children, suggesting that completing at least 9-12 years of education [intermediate and secondary school] is needed for better improvement in the nutritional status of the children

Regional disparity in prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi children

To evaluate the regional difference in the prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi children. Data for this study were collected over 2 years [2004 and 2005]. A cross-sectional representative sample of the Saudi population of healthy children below 5 years of age was used to calculate the prevalence of malnutrition. The study was carried out in the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Body measurements of the weight, length, and height were performed according to standard recommendations. Standard deviation scores were determined using the Lambda, Mu, and Sigma [LMS] statistical methodology. The 1978 NCHS/WHO growth reference was used for the calculation of prevalence of underweight, wasting, and stunting defined as the proportion of children whose weight for age, weight for height, and height for age was below minus standard deviation [-2 SD] for Northern, Southwestern, and Central regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Chi-square test was used to assess the difference in prevalence between regions, and a p<0.05 was considered significant. The sample size of children <5 years of age in Central region was 5067, Southwestern 2285, and Northern 2933. The prevalence of underweight was 4%, 19.7% and 5.5%, that of wasting was 6.5%, 16.7% and 6.5% and of stunting was 6.4%, 13.2% and 6.4% in the Central, Southwestern, and Northern regions indicating a significantly-higher prevalence in Southwestern compared to other regions [p<0.001]. This report revealed a high prevalence of significant nutritional indicators in the Southwestern regions than in other regions. This finding indicates that this region should be given priority for further studies to identify causes, and to design health promotion programs

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Saudi children and adolescents

There is limited information on overweight and obesity in Saudi children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to establish the national prevalence of overweight and obesity in Saudi children and adolescents. The 2005 Saudi reference data set was used to calculate the body mass index [BMI] for children aged 5 to 18 years. Using the 2007 WHO reference, the prevalence of overweight, obesity and severe obesity were defined as the proportion of children with a BMI standard deviation score more than +1, +2 and +3, respectively. The 2000 CDC reference was also used for comparison. There were 19317 healthy children and adolescents from 5 to 18 years of age, 50.8% of whom were boys. The overall prevalence of overweight, obesity and severe obesity in all age groups was 23.1%, 9.3% and 2%, respectively. A significantly lower prevalence of overweight [23.8 vs 20.4; P<.001] and obesity [9.5 vs 5.7; P<.001] was found when the CDC reference was used. This report establishes baseline national prevalence rates for overweight, obesity and severe obesity in Saudi children and adolescents, indicating intermediate levels between developing and industrialized countries. Measures should be implemented to prevent further increases in the numbers of overweight school-age children and adolescents and the associated health hazards

Prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi children: a community-based study

There is no published information on the prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study was to establish the prevalence data. The prevalence of nutritional indicators in the form of underweight, stunting, and wasting in a national sample of children younger than 5 years of age was calculated using the new WHO standards as reference. Calculations were performed using the corresponding WHO software. The prevalence of moderate and severe underweight, wasting and stunting, was defined as the proportion of children whose weight for age, weight for height, and height for age were below-2 and-3 standard deviation scores, respectively. The number of children younger than 5 years of age was 15 516 and 50.5% were boys. The prevalence of moderate and severe underweight was 6.9% and 1.3%, respectively. The prevalence of moderate and severe wasting was 9.8% and 2.9%, respectively. Finally, the prevalence of moderate and severe stunting was 10.9% and 2.8%, respectively. The prevalence was lower in girls for all indicators. Comparison of the prevalence of nutritional indicators in selected countries demonstrates large disparity with an intermediate position for Saudi Arabia. This report establishes the national prevalence of malnutrition among Saudi children. Compared to data from other countries, these prevalence rates are still higher than other countries with less economic resources, indicating that more efforts are needed to improve the nutritional status of children

Trends in infant nutrition in Saudi Arabia: compliance with WHO recommendations

The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life. Our objective was to evaluate trends in infant nutrition in Saudi Arabia and the degree of compliance with WHO recommendations. A nationwide nutritional survey of a sample of Saudi households was selected by the multistage probability sampling procedure. A validated questionnaire was administered to mothers of childdren less than 3 years of age. Of 5339 children in the sample, 4889 received breast milk at birth indicating a prevalence of initiattion of 91.6%. Initiation of breastfeeding was delayed beyond 6 hours after birth in 28.1% of the infants. Bottle feeding was introduced by 1 month of age to 2174/4260 [51.4%] and to 3831/4260 [90%] by 6 months of age. The majority of infants 3870/4787 [80.8%] were introduced to 'solid foods' between 4 to 6 months of age and whole milk feedings were given to 40% of children younger than 12 months of age. The current practice of feeding of Saudi infants is very far from compliance with even the most conservative WHO recommendations of exclusive breastfeeding for 4 to 6 months. The high prevalence of breastfeeding initiation at birth indicates the willingness of Saudi mothers to breastfeed. However, early introdduction of complementary feedings reduced the period of exclusive breastfeeding. Research in infant nutrition should be a public health priority to improve the rate of breastfeeding and to minimize other inappropriate practices

Consanguinity and major genetic disorders in Saudi children: a community-based cross-sectional study

There is a high rate of consanguinity in Saudi Arabia; however, information on its relationship with genetic disorders is limited. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to explore the role of consanguinity in genetic disorders. The study sample was determined by a multistage probability random sampling procedure. Consanguinity status was obtained during household visits. Primary care physicians performed a history and physical examination of all children and adolescents younger than 19 years, and all cases of genetic diseases were recorded. The chi-square test was used to compare proportions. During the two-year study period [2004-2005], 11 554 of 11 874 [97%] mothers answered the question on consanguinity, and 6470 of 11 554 [56%] were consanguineous. There was no significant association between first-cousin consanguinity and Down syndrome [P=.55]. Similarly, there was no significant association with either sickle cell disease [P=.97] or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency [P=.67] for first-cous-in consanguinity. A borderline statistical significance was found for major congenital malformations [P=.05]. However, the most significant association with first-cousin consanguinity was congenital heart disease [CHD] [P=.01]. Finally, no significant association was found for type 1 diabetes mellitus [P=.92]. For all types of con-sanguinity, similar trends of association were found, with a definite statistically significant association only with CHD [P=.003]. The data suggest a significant role of parental consanguinity in CHD. However, a relationship between consanguinity and other genetic diseases could not be established. The effect of consanguinity on genetic diseases is not uniform and this should be taken into consideration in genetic counseling

Comparison of the 2005 growth charts for Saudi children and adolescents to the 2000 CDC growth charts

The 2000 CDC growth charts for the United States, a revision of the National Center for Health Statistics/World Health Organization [NCHS/WHO] growth charts, were released in 2002 to replace the NCHS/WHO charts. We evaluated the differences between the CDC growth charts and the Saudi 2005 reference to determine the implications of using the 2000 CDC growth charts in Saudi children and adollescents. The Saudi reference was based on a cross-sectional representative sample of the Saudi population of healthy children and adolescents from birth to 19 years of age. Measurements of the length/ stature, weight and head circumference were performed according to expert recommendations. The CDC charts from birth to 20 years were based on a cross-sectional representative national sample from five sources collected between 1963 and 1994. The data from the CDC study including the 3rd, 5th, 50th, 95th, and 97th percentiles were plotted against the corresponding percentiles on the Saudi charts for the weight for age, height for age, weight for height for children from 0 to 36 months and weight for age, stature for age and body mass index for children 2 to 19 years of age. There were major differences between the two growth charts. The main findings were the upward shift of the lower percentiles of the CDC curves and the overlap or downward shift of the upper percentiles, especially for weight, weight for height, and BMI. The use of the 2000 CDC growth charts for Saudi children and adolescents increases the prevalence of undernutrition, stunting, and wasting, potentially leading to unnecessary referrals, investigations and parrental anxiety. The increased prevalence of overweight and obesity is alarming and needs further investigation

Trends in the nutritional status of Saudi children

To evaluate the trend in the nutritional status of Saudi children over a 10-year period. The growth data collected between 1993-1994 were compared with those collected between 2004-2005 from all regions of the Kingdom. Both nutritional surveys had a similar design leading to representative samples of Saudi children determined by multistage probability sampling. Similar methodology of measurements of the weight and height were used. The data from the 1994 study, including the third, fifth, fiftieth, ninety-fifth, and the ninety-seventh percentiles, were plotted on the 2005 charts for the weight for age, height for age, weight for height. Compared to the 1994 results, the data of the 2005 study indicate an upward shift of the lower percentiles of the weight for age, and the weight for height, more than height for age, indicating improved nutritional status. However, the upward shift of the higher percentiles for the weight for age, and weight for height in the 2005 survey, indicate increased trend for overweight and obesity. There is a demonstrable improvement in the nutritional status of Saudi children, and also tendency toward overweight and obesity over the last decade