Original article
English
El Taguri A 1,2, Besmar F 1, Abdel Monem A 3, Betilmal I 4, Ricour C 1, Rolland-Cachera MF 5.
1-Hôpital Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France (Correspondence to A. El Taguri: tajoury@pediatrician.com). 2-Department of Family and Community Medicine, Alfateh University, Tripoli, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. 3-Pan Arab Project for Family Health (PAPFAM), League of Arab States. 4-World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt. 5-Unité de Surveillance et d’Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Unité de Recherche et d’Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Centre de Recherche
East Mediterr Health J. 2009 May-Jun;15(3):549-62.
Abstract
We analysed data on overweight and stunting from large national surveys performed between 2001 and 2004 in 5 Arab countries (Djibouti, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen). Overweight and stunting were defined according to new WHO growth standards. Overweight ranged from 8.9% in Yemen to 20.2% in Syrian Arab Republic. The risk ratio (RR) for overweight in stunted children ranged from 2.14 in Djibouti to 3.85 in Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. RR ranged from 0.76 in mildly stunted children of Yemen to 7.15 in severely stunted children in Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Etiological fraction in the population ranged from 7.49% to 69.76%.
Keywords: Stunting is a major risk factor for overweight: results from national surveys in 5 Arab countries.
Link/DOI: http://www.emro.who.int/emhj/1503/15_3_2009_0549_0562.pdf