Prevalence and Determinants of Anemia and Iron Deficiency in Kuwait.

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency (ID) of a nationally representative sample of the Kuwait population. We also determined if anemia differed by socioeconomic status or by RBC folate and vitamins A and B12 levels. The subjects who were made up of 1830 males and females between the ages of 2 months to 86 years, were divided into the following age groups (0-5, 5-11, 12-14, 15-19, 20-49, ≥50 years). Results showed that the prevalence of anemia was 3% in adult males and 17% in females. The prevalence of ID varied according to age between 4% (≥50 years) and 21% (5-11 years) and 9% (12-14 years) and 23% (15-19 years), respectively, in males and females. The prevalence of anemia and ID was higher in females compared to males. Adults with normal ferritin level, but with low RBC folate and vitamins A and B12 levels had higher prevalence of anemia than those with normal RBC folate and vitamins A and B12 levels. This first nationally representative nutrition and health survey in Kuwait indicated that anemia and ID are prevalent and ID contributes significantly to anemia prevalence.

Evidence for nutrition transition in Kuwait: over-consumption of macronutrients and obesity.

OBJECTIVES: To describe nutrient intakes and prevalence of overweight and obesity in a nationally representative sample of Kuwaitis and to compare intakes with reference values. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, multistage stratified, cluster sample. Settings National nutrition survey covering all geographical areas of the country. SUBJECTS: Kuwaitis (n 1704) between 3 and 86 years of age. RESULTS: Obesity was more prevalent among women than men (50 % and 70 % for females aged 19-50 years and ≥51 years, respectively, v. 29 % and 42 % for their male counterparts). Boys were more obese than girls, with the highest obesity rate among those aged 9-13 years (37 % and 24 % of males and females, respectively). Energy intake was higher than the estimated energy requirements for almost half of Kuwaiti children and one-third of adults. The Estimated Average Requirement was exceeded by 78-100 % of the recommendation for protein and carbohydrates. More than two-thirds of males aged ≥4 years exceeded the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for Na. Conversely, less than 20 % of Kuwaitis, regardless of age, consumed 100 % or more of the Estimated Average Requirement for vitamin D, vitamin E, Ca, n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. Less than 20 % of children met the recommended level for fibre. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition transition among Kuwaitis was demonstrated by the increased prevalence of obesity and overweight, increased intakes of energy and macronutrients and decreased intakes of fibre and micronutrients. Interventions to increase awareness about healthy foods combined with modifications in subsidy policies are clearly warranted to increase consumption of low-energy, nutrient-dense foods.

High prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Kuwaiti adults--a wake-up call for public health intervention.

The socio-economic development which followed the discovery of oil resources brought about considerable changes in the food habits and lifestyle of the Kuwaiti population. Excessive caloric intake and decreased energy expenditure due to a sedentary lifestyle have led to a rapid increase in obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable chronic diseases in the population. In this paper, we examine the prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) among Kuwaiti adults (≥20 years) using data from the first national nutrition survey conducted between July 2008 and November 2009. The prevalence of MetS was 37.7% in females and 34.2% in males by NCEP criteria, whereas the values were 40.1% in females and 41.7% in males according to IDF criteria. Prevalence of MetS increased with age and was higher in females than males. The high prevalence of the MetS in Kuwaiti adults warrants urgent public health measures to prevent morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular complications in the future.

Waist circumference percentiles for Kuwaiti children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Abdominal obesity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases. Yet there are no waist circumference (WC) cut-offs for children in the Arabian Gulf. We developed smoothed WC percentiles for 5-19-year-old Kuwaiti children and adolescents, which could be used in clinical and public health practice. We also examined the percentages of children who had WC ≥ 90th percentile, a value commonly associated with an elevated risk of CVD. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted by the Kuwait National Nutrition Surveillance System. SETTING: Data were collected from representative primary-, intermediate- and secondary-school children as part of the yearly nutrition and health monitoring. Least mean square regression was used to develop smoothed WC curves. SUBJECTS: A total of 9593 healthy 5.0-18.9-year-old children of both sexes were studied from all areas of Kuwait. Age, gender, residency, education level, weight, height and WC were collected for all participants. RESULTS: We developed the first smoothed WC curves for Kuwaiti children. Male children had higher WC than female children. WC increased with age in both genders, but larger percentages of male children had WC ≥ 90th percentile. Male children aged >10 years have higher WC percentiles than do female children at the 50th, 75th, 90th and 97th percentiles. CONCLUSIONS: Male children (especially those aged >10 years) are at higher risk than female children. Few health-care professionals routinely measure WC. WC measurement should be promoted as an important tool in paediatric primary care practice. The use of these age- and gender-specific percentiles can impact public health recommendations for Kuwaiti and other Arab children from the Gulf.

Age- and gender-specific smoothed waist circumference percentiles for Kuwaiti adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain abdominal obesity prevalence (waist circumference, WC) in adolescents and to develop smoothed WC percentile charts for Kuwaiti adolescents for public health use. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 4,219 healthy Kuwaiti male and female secondary school students between the ages of 11-19 years was examined. Adolescents were drawn from all geographical regions of the country, as part of the Kuwait Nutrition Surveillance Program (KNSP). The KNSP consists of yearly data collections of variables, including weights, heights, and WCs and several sociodemographic variables. LMS regression was used to develop smoothed WC percentile curves. The final percentile curves presented are the result of smoothing three age-specific curves, termed lambda (L), mu (M), and sigma (S) for each gender. RESULTS: Between 5.9 and 12.8% of females and 8.0-30.3% males had WC values > or = 90th percentile. Moreover, the mean WC of males was consistently higher than those of females at each age and the percent of adolescents who exceed the 90th percentile increased with age in males, but not in females. CONCLUSION: Mean WC was higher in males than in females at every age. In most cases, two to three times greater percentages of males, compared to females, equaled or exceeded the 90th percentile, a value frequently associated with higher cardiovascular risk. These results indicate the urgent need to reduce abdominal obesity, an important indicator of the metabolic syndrome, in Kuwaiti adolescents.