Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
BMC Public Health. 2012 Sep 17;12:798. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-798.
Even 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.
Based 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.
The 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.
The 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.
尽管肥胖症在世界许多地区持续蔓延，但最近的报告强调了各国之间肥胖趋势的差异。关于黎巴嫩和东地中海区域其他国家肥胖症的发展和增长，实证研究很少。鉴于需要采取有效的肥胖预防措施，并准确评估肥胖症流行趋势，本研究旨在调查和分析 12 年来黎巴嫩超重和肥胖流行率的变化趋势。
本研究基于 1997 年和 2009 年对 6 岁及以上人群进行的两次全国性横断面调查中获得的体重和身高测量数据，计算 BMI，并根据世界卫生组织（WHO）标准，确定成年人的肥胖患病率和儿童青少年的 BMI z 分数。确定了超重和肥胖的年龄和性别调整比值比，以 1997 年为参照类别。还计算了按性别和年龄组计算的肥胖患病率的年变化率。
本研究样本包括 1997 年调查中的 2004 名受试者和 2009 年调查中的 3636 名受试者。与 1997 年相比，除 6-9 岁儿童外，2009 年所有年龄和性别组的平均 BMI 值均显著升高。尽管在 6-19 岁和 20 岁及以上的成年人中，超重的患病率在研究期间保持稳定（分别为 20.0%和 37.0%），但肥胖的患病率显著增加（6-19 岁儿童为 7.3%比 10.9%；成年人分别为 17.4%和 28.2%），与 1997 年相比，2009 年肥胖的几率是 2 倍（6-19 岁儿童为 1.29-2.97，OR = 1.96；成年人为 1.67-2.43，OR = 2.01）。肥胖患病率的年变化率在儿童和青少年中为+4.1%，在成年人中为+5.2%。
本研究结果突显了黎巴嫩人口肥胖症患病率在 12 年研究期间令人震惊的增长，并提醒人们制定政策和营养策略的重要性，以遏制该国肥胖症的上升。
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