Prevalence of overweight and obesity in United Arab Emirates Expatriates: the UAE National Diabetes and Lifestyle Study

Nabil Sulaiman,Ahmad Sulaiman,Salah Elbadawi,Salah Abusnana,Paul Zimmet,Jonathan Shaw,Oliver Huse,Anna Peeters,Abdulrazzag Madani,Maisoon Mairghani,Fatheya Alawadi,Amal Hussein

doi:10.1186/s13098-017-0287-0

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe current prevalence of obesity and related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in expatriates living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).MethodsWe used data from the cross-sectional UAE National Diabetes and Lifestyle Study (UAEDIAB), which surveyed adult expatriates living in the UAE for at least 4 years. We report crude prevalence of overweight and obesity, indicated by gender and ethnicity-specific body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) cut-offs, by lifestyle and biomedical characteristics, as well as age and sex-adjusted odds ratios.ResultsOut of a total of 3064 recruited expatriates (response rate 68%), 2724 had completed all stages of the UAEDIAB study. Expatriates were; 81% men, mean age 38 years (range 18–80), 71% South East Asians, and 36% university graduates. In this sample, the prevalence of overweight and obesity, by BMI, were 43.0 and 32.3%, respectively. 52.4 and 56.5% of participants were at a substantially increased risk according to WC and WHR, respectively. The prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were 15.5, 31.8, and 51.7%, respectively, with the prevalence of each being higher in those with obesity.ConclusionPrevalence of obesity and associated NCDs are extremely high in UAE expatriates. Without comprehensive prevention and management, levels of disease will continue to increase and productivity will fall.

Highlights

In 1997, The World Health Organization (WHO) Expert consultation on Obesity warned that populations of most countries would be facing an obesity epidemic that will put them at risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
When standardized to the age and sex structure of the 2013 world mid-year population, obesity prevalence as measured by waist circumference (WC) was 53.8% and for that measured by waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was 50.0%
This study revealed a high prevalence of overweight and obesity (43.0 and 32.3%, respectively), by body-mass index (BMI), amongst expatriate residents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2013

Summary

Introduction

In 1997, The World Health Organization (WHO) Expert consultation on Obesity warned that populations of most countries would be facing an obesity epidemic that will put them at risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Overweight and obesity prevalence has continued to increase rapidly since that date creating a true pandemic and affecting younger age groups [1]. More specific to the UAE, one survey, conducted over 15 years ago (1999–2000) found that a third of the population was obese and over 40% overweight [6]. In this survey, UAE citizens were purposely oversampled compared to the expatriate population. As the population of the UAE is predominantly made up of expatriates [7], it is likely that by under-sampling this population group, the true prevalence of overweight and obesity in the UAE has not been fully captured

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Conclusion