Prevalence of childhood obesity in the state of Kuwait.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity have reached an epidemic in Kuwait, with the highest rate of adult obesity in the region. National estimates of childhood obesity in Kuwait are scarce. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children in Kuwait. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of 6-18 years old school children, randomly selected from 244 schools in Kuwait. Anthropometric data was measured from 6574 students in September 2012-June 2013. Overweight and obesity have been defined in accordance with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and World Health Organization (WHO) 2007 criteria. RESULTS: The prevalence estimate overweight was based on the three different systems (CDC = 17.7%, IOTF = 23.3%, WHO = 21.6%). The prevalence of obesity was (CDC = 33.9%, IOTF = 28.2%, WHO = 30.5%). Boys had a higher percentage of obesity regardless of the classification system used. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of childhood obesity is alarmingly high in the State of Kuwait and exceeds the prevalence rates reported from neighbouring countries and from North America.

Cardiovascular disease risk factors in the South Asian population living in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: High rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease have been reported in South Asian immigrants in many countries. However, the prevalence and characteristics of cardiovascular disease risk factors among a South Asian population living in Kuwait have not yet been investigated. This study was therefore designed to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and determine whether they are independently associated with diabetes in such a population. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 1094 South Asians (781 men and 313 women), mainly Indian and Pakistani (≥ 18 years of age), of whom 75.1% were Indians. Interviews were carried out, during which socio-demographic and anthropometric data were collected, followed by a physical examination and collection of fasting blood samples for laboratory investigations. Diabetes was defined by fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7 mmol/l, or being on treatment, and/or self-reported previously diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: The prevalence of diabetes was 21.1%, with 3.4% of that percentage of people being newly diagnosed. Using BMI measurements, 24.0% of those who participated in the study were obese and 46.1% were overweight. Dyslipidaemia was found in 77.6% and hypertension in 44.8%. Advancing age (≥ 40 years), male gender, high LDL, high total cholesterol, hypertension and positive family history of diabetes were significantly associated with increased risk of diabetes. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in South Asian expatriates in Kuwait exceeds prevalence rates reported in their homeland and other countries. This may suggest the added stress of environmental factors on the development of cardiovascular disease risk factors in such populations. Specialized prevention programmes targeting such high-risk ethnic populations are paramount and need to be implemented.

Diabetes and associated cardiovascular risk factors in the State of Kuwait: the first national survey.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality worldwide as well as in Kuwait. People with diabetes have two to five times greater risk of developing CVD as compared with non-diabetic individuals. To date, little information exists on the prevalence and characteristics of cardiovascular risk factors in Kuwait. The objective of this survey was to address the growing burden of diabetes and related cardiovascular risk factors, and to estimate, for the first time, the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the State of Kuwait. METHODS: The study was carried out using the World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise approach for surveillance of non-communicable disease risk factors. This study represents a national survey for Kuwaiti nationals aged between 20 and 65 years. All participants were involved in an interview for gathering sociodemographic information, underwent focused physical examination and donated a blood sample for the study-specific laboratory investigations. RESULTS: A total of 1970 subjects, with a mean age of 48.9 ± 10.5, were screened. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was as follows: diabetes 17.9%, dyslipidaemia 70.3%, hypertension 25.3% and obesity 48.2%. Over 62% had a sedentary lifestyle, and 17.8% were smokers. The prevalence of diabetes and dyslipidaemia increased with age and body mass index. Diabetes was also significantly associated with age above 40 years (OR = 10.5), family history of diabetes (OR = 2.79), hypertension (OR = 2.22), obesity (OR = 2.87) and lower literacy (OR = 4.23). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that advancing age (≥ 40 years), diabetes mellitus, obesity, positive family history of diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia are significant risk factors for developing CVD in Kuwait as in other parts of the world. Understanding these factors allows for preventive measures to be taken for Kuwaiti population.