Food and Nutrition Administration, Ministry of Health, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
School of Community & Environmental Health, College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virgina, United States of America.
East Mediterr Health J. 2022 Jun 29;28(6):407-417. doi: 10.26719/emhj.22.043.
There is a paucity of data on the secular trends of stunting and overweight among children aged < 5 years in oil-rich countries in the Middle East.
To examine the secular trends of stunting, underweight and overweight in children aged < 5 years in Kuwait between 2007 and 2019.
We used large individual data records (n=48 108) from the Kuwait Nutritional Surveillance System (KNSS) to calculate height/length-for-age z score (HAZ), weight-for-age z score and body mass index (BMI)-for-age z score using World Health Organization growth references. Stunting and underweight were defined as < -2 standard deviation (SD) and overweight (including obesity) as ≥ +2 SD. Trends of stunting, underweight and overweight were investigated using logistic regression models.
The prevalence of stunting, underweight and overweight was 5.15%, 2.33% and 10.78%, respectively. Stunting increased during the study period, among children aged < 2 years. There was no increasing trend in overweight during the study period. These findings were corroborated by the distribution of HAZ and BMI-for-age z scores. Current prevalence of combined stunting and overweight was 1.53% in boys and 1.98% in girls.
Current prevalence of stunting and underweight is low in Kuwait indicating that undernutrition is no longer a major public health issue. There is a tendency for stunting to increase in children aged < 2 years, highlighting the need to investigate early causes of stunting such as maternal and pregnancy-related factors.
在富含石油的中东国家中，针对 5 岁以下儿童的发育迟缓与超重的长期变化趋势数据匮乏。
检测科威特 2007 年至 2019 年间 5 岁以下儿童发育迟缓、体重不足和超重的长期变化趋势。
我们使用来自科威特营养监测系统（KNSS）的大量个体数据记录（n=48108），采用世界卫生组织生长参考值计算年龄别身高/身长 Z 评分（HAZ）、年龄别体重 Z 评分和年龄别体重指数（BMI）Z 评分。发育迟缓与体重不足定义为<-2 个标准差（SD），超重（包括肥胖）定义为≥+2 SD。采用逻辑回归模型研究发育迟缓、体重不足和超重的变化趋势。
发育迟缓、体重不足和超重的患病率分别为 5.15%、2.33%和 10.78%。研究期间，<2 岁儿童的发育迟缓患病率有所增加。研究期间，超重患病率无上升趋势。HAZ 和 BMI 年龄别 Z 评分分布也证实了这一结果。男童和女童的联合发育迟缓与超重当前患病率分别为 1.53%和 1.98%。
科威特当前发育迟缓与体重不足的患病率较低，这表明营养不良不再是一个主要的公共卫生问题。<2 岁儿童的发育迟缓有增加趋势，这突显了需要调查发育迟缓的早期原因，如母婴和妊娠相关因素。
