Aboul-Enein B H, Bernstein J, Neary A C
School of Health Sciences, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States of America.
College of Graduate Health Studies, A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Kirksville, Missouri, United States of America.
East Mediterr Health J. 2017 Jan 23;22(10):763-770. doi: 10.26719/2016.22.10.763.
Escalating obesity rates have become a significant public health problem in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and have been associated with shifts towards a westernized diet. This integrative review aimed to examine the current dietary trends and transitions and their association with obesity in Arabic-speaking countries of the MENA region. Relevant databases were searched for studies in MENA countries between 1998 and 2014 that investigated obesity trends and changes in dietary patterns at the regional level in all age groups. A total of 39 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All the articles noted that obesity was increasingly prevalent and that there was a significant dietary shift away from traditional dietary patterns; 51% reported a shift towards a westernized diet and half found that the western diet was correlated with increased obesity. Culturally relevant dietary health education and health promotion strategies are warranted to address both the dietary shifts towards the westernized diet and the increasing obesity.
肥胖率不断攀升已成为中东和北非（MENA）地区一个重大的公共卫生问题，且与向西式饮食的转变有关。本整合性综述旨在研究MENA地区讲阿拉伯语国家当前的饮食趋势与转变及其与肥胖的关联。检索了相关数据库，以查找1998年至2014年间在MENA国家开展的、调查所有年龄组区域层面肥胖趋势和饮食模式变化的研究。共有39篇文章符合纳入标准。所有文章均指出肥胖日益普遍，且存在明显偏离传统饮食模式的饮食转变；51%的文章报告了向西式饮食的转变，半数文章发现西式饮食与肥胖增加相关。有必要制定与文化相关的饮食健康教育和健康促进策略，以应对向西式饮食的转变和肥胖增加的问题。
