Abstract
To find out the prevalence of overweight and obesity among female adolescents in Jordan. A cross-sectional survey on females aged 15-18 in Amman, Jordan, was carried out using a multistage stratified random sampling method. The total sample size was 475 girls. Weight and height were measured and body mass index for age was used to determine overweight and obesity using the IOTF and WHO international standards. The prevalence of overweight and obesity decreased with age. The highest prevalence of overweight and obesity was reported at age 15 (24.4% and 8.9%, respectively). The WHO standard showed a higher prevalence of obesity than the IOTF standard in all age groups. Overweight and obesity are serious public health problems among adolescents in Jordan, using both international standards. A program to combat obesity among schoolchildren, therefore, should be given a high priority in school health policy in Jordan.
Highlights
The nutrition and economic transitions which have happened in Jordan during the recent decades have influenced the nutrition and health situation
The World Health Organization (WHO) reference standard provided a higher prevalence of obesity than the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) standard
This study showed that the problem of obesity is of great concern among adolescent girls in Jordan, and there is a variation in the prevalence of overweight and obesity between the WHO and IOTF standards
Summary
The nutrition and economic transitions which have happened in Jordan during the recent decades have influenced the nutrition and health situation. Chronic non-communicable diseases have become the main health problems, while. Nutrition and Health Studies Unit, Deanship of Scientific Research, University of Bahrain and Arab Center for Nutrition, Bahrain. 2. Mariam Al-Mannai, Department of Mathematics, College of Science, University of Bahrain, Bahrain. Of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Science, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan Reema Tayyem, Dept. of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Science, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan
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