Abstract
Background Obesity has become a significant public health issue worldwide, and it is a major risk factor for many noncommunicable diseases. This systematic review aimed to identify the prevalence of obesity and overweight in the Middle East region and different countries in this region. Materials and Methods PubMed, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE databases were searched from 2000–2020 to identify relevant studies in the Middle East area. The survey was carried out using combinations of Medical Subject Headings (Mesh) keywords like “body mass index”, “obesity”, “overweight”, “prevalence”, “Middle-East”, and “Countries in the Middle East area”. Analysis of the data was done using STATA-14, and a random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. Results A total of 101 studies with 698905 participants have been identified that met inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. The pooled estimates of the prevalence of obesity and overweight in the Middle East area were 21.17 (95% CI: 17.05–26.29) and 33.14 (95% CI: 26.87–40.87), respectively. The findings showed that obesity prevalence increased with age so that the highest prevalence of obesity and overweight was observed in people >40 years old. Obesity prevalence in the Middle East area remained steady between 2000–2006 and 2014–2020 (23%). During these time intervals, the prevalence of overweight decreased from 34.83 (95% CI: 32.40–37.45) to 32.85 (95% CI: 31.39–34.38). Conclusions Despite the relative stabilization of the overweight and obesity trend in the Middle East, current interventions to combat the overweight epidemic need to be maintained and strengthened because the prevalence of overweight and obesity in this region is still very high. The prevalence of obesity increases with age so that people over 40 have the highest percentage of obesity and overweight. Therefore, implementing intervention programs to prevent and control obesity and overweight in the Middle East is essential.
Highlights
Obesity and overweight are health problems that indicate excessive and abnormal accumulation of body fat and lead to adverse health effects [1]
A literature search was performed in the online database including Google Scholar, PubMed, and MEDLINE to find the relevant article published between 2000 and 2020. e investigation was done using keyword combinations Medical Subject Headings (Mesh) such as “body mass index”, “obesity”, “overweight”, “prevalence”, “Middle-East”, and “Countries in the Middle East area”
Studies were excluded from the meta-analysis if they were not published in English and if they focused on children and adolescents and populations with specific conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer
Summary
Obesity has become a significant public health issue worldwide, and it is a major risk factor for many noncommunicable diseases. is systematic review aimed to identify the prevalence of obesity and overweight in the Middle East region and different countries in this region. Is systematic review aimed to identify the prevalence of obesity and overweight in the Middle East region and different countries in this region. E pooled estimates of the prevalence of obesity and overweight in the Middle East area were 21.17 (95% CI: 17.05–26.29) and 33.14 (95% CI: 26.87–40.87), respectively. E findings showed that obesity prevalence increased with age so that the highest prevalence of obesity and overweight was observed in people >40 years old. Obesity prevalence in the Middle East area remained steady between 2000–2006 and 2014–2020 (23%). During these time intervals, the prevalence of overweight decreased from 34.83 (95% CI: 32.40–37.45) to 32.85 (95% CI: 31.39–34.38). E prevalence of obesity increases with age so that people over 40 have the highest percentage of obesity and overweight. Despite the relative stabilization of the overweight and obesity trend in the Middle East, current interventions to combat the overweight epidemic need to be maintained and strengthened because the prevalence of overweight and obesity in this region is still very high. e prevalence of obesity increases with age so that people over 40 have the highest percentage of obesity and overweight. erefore, implementing intervention programs to prevent and control obesity and overweight in the Middle East is essential
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