Abstract
The increasing prevalence of obesity at an alarming rate in many parts of the world probably has multiple underlying etiologies. Obesity is generally attributed to a combination of genetic and/or environmental factors. In children, genetic, prenatal and perinatal factors have a great effect on individual predisposition, practices and behaviors, contributing to a long-term positive energy balance.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abdulbari, B. (2006). Prevalence of obesity, overweight, and underweight in Qatari adolescents. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 27, 39–45.
Abdulbari, B., & Ihab, T. (2006). Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and associated psychological problems in Qatari’s female population. Obesity Reviews, 7, 139–145.
Abdulbari, B., Abdulaziz, K., Ihab, T., & Osman, S. (2006). Prevalence of dieting, overweight, body image satisfaction and associated psychological problems in adolescent boys. Nutrition and Food Science, 36, 295–304.
Al-Haddad, F., Little, B., & Abdul Ghafoor, A.G. (2005). Child obesity in United Arab Emirates schoolchildren:A national study. Annals of Human Biology, 32, 72–79.
Al-Hourani, H.M., Henry, C.J.K., & Lightowler, H.J. (2003). Prevalence of overweight among adolescent females in the United Arab Emirates. American Journal of Human Biology, 15, 758–764.
Al-Isa, A.N. (2004). Body mass index, overweight and obesity among Kuwaiti intermediate school adolescents aged 10–14 years. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 58, 1273–1277.
Al-Isa, A.N., & Moussa, M.A. (1999). Factors associated with overweight and obesity among Kuwaiti kindergarten children aged 3–5 years. Nutrition and Health, 13, 125–139.
Al-Nuaim, A.R., Bamgboye, E.A., & Al-Herbish, A. (1996). The pattern of growth and obesity in Saudi Arabian male school children. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 20, 1000–1005.
Al-Rukban, M.O. (2003), Obesity among Saudi male adolescents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal, 24, 27–33.
Al-Sendi, A.M., Shetty, P., & Musaiger, A.O. (2003). Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Bahraini adolescents: a comparison between three different sets of criteria. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 57, 471–474.
Al Turki, Y.A. (2007). Overweight and obesity among university students, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Middle East Journal of Family Medicine, 5, 1–3.
American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement (2003). Prevention of pediatric overweight and obesity. Pediatrics, 112, 424–430.
Asfaw, A. (2007). Micronutrient deficiency and the prevalence of mothers’ overweight / obesity in Egypt. Economics and Human Biology, 5, 471–483.
Azizi, F., Allahverdian, S., Mirmirian, P., Rahmani, M., & Mohammadi, F. (2001). Dietary factors and body mass index in a group of Iranian adolescents: Tehran lipid and glucose study-2. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research, 71, 123–127.
Bar Dayan, Y., Elishkevits, K., Grotto, I., Goldstein, L., Goldberg, A., Shvarts, S., Levin, A., Ohana, N., Onn, E., & Levi, Y. (2005). The prevalence of obesity and associated morbidity among 17-year-old Israeli conscripts. Public Health, 119, 385–389.
Ben Mami Ben Miled, F., Dakhli, S., Blouza, S., & Achour, A. (2000). Obesity in children. Tunis Medicine, 78, 162–166.
Ben Salem, K., Mandhouj, O., Letaief, M., Mtar, A., & Soltani, M. (2006). Distribution of anthropometrical parameters in infants in the Monastir region, Tunisia. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 12 (Suppl 2), S168–S177.
Ben Slama, F., Achour, A., Belhadj, O., Hsairi, M., Oueslati, M., & Achour, N. (2002). Obesity and lifestyle in a population of male school children aged 6 to 10 years in Ariana (Tunisia). Tunis Medicine, 80, 542–547.
Benjelloun, S.. (2002). Nutrition transition in Morocco. Public Health Nutrition, 5, 135–140.
Bakr, E.M., Ismail, N.A., & Mahaba, H.M. (2002). Impact of lifestyle on the nutritional status of medical students at Ain Shams University. Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association, 77, 29–49.
Blouza-Chabchoub, S., Rached-Amrouche, C., Jamoussi-Kammoun, H., & Bouchaa, N. (2006). Frequency and risk factors of obesity in Tunisian adolescents. Tunis Medicine, 84, 714–716.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. Atlanta (December 2008); http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood
Chakar, H., & Salameh, P. (2006). Adolescent obesity in Lebanese private schools. European Journal of Public Health, 16, 648–651.
Cole, T.J., Bellizi, M.C., & Flegal, K.M. (2000). Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. British Medical Journal, 320, 1240–1243.
Disease Control Priorities Project. Global burden of disease and risk factors. (November 2008); http://www.dcp2.org/pubs/GBD
El-Hazmi, M., & Warsy, A. (2002). The prevalence of obesity and overweight in 1–18-year-old Saudi children. Annals of Saudi Medicine, 22, 303–307.
Flodmark, C.E., Lissau, I., & Moreno, L.A.. (2004). New insights into the field of children and adolescents’ obesity: the European perspective. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 28, 1189–1196.
Gargari, B.P., Behzad, M.H., Ghassabpour, S., & Ayat, A. (2004). Prevalence of overweight and obesity among high-school girls in Tabriz, Iran in 2001. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 25, 288–291.
Ghannem, H., Trabelsi, L., Gaha, R., Harrabi, I., & Essoussi, A.S. (2001). Study of cardiovascular disease risk factors among rural schoolchildren in Sousse, Tunisia. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 7, 617–624.
Gittelsohn, J., & Kumar, M.B. (2007). Preventing childhood obesity and diabetes: is it time to move out of the school? Pediatric Diabetes, 8 (Suppl. 9), 1–15.
Hamadeh, R.R. (2000). Non-communicable diseases among the Bahraini population: a review. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 6, 1091–1097.
International Cablemakers Federation. MENA Definition. Vienna (November 2008); http://icf.at/?id=6174
Israeli, E., Schochat, T., Korzets, Z., Tekes-Manova, D., Bernheim, J., & Golan, E. (2006). Prehypertension and obesity in adolescents: a population study. American Journal of Hypertension, 19, 708–712.
Jabre, P., Sikias, P., Khater-Menassa, B., Baddoura, R., & Awada, H. (2005). Overweight children in Beirut: prevalence estimates and characteristics. Child: Care, Health and Development, 31, 159–165.
Jackson, R.T., Rashed, M., & Saad-Eldin, R. (2003). Rural urban differences in weight, body image, and dieting behavior among adolescent Egyptian schoolgirls. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 54, 1–11.
Jackson, R.T., Rashed, M., Hwalla, N., & Al-Somaie, M. (2007). Comparison of BMI for age in adolescent girls in 3 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 13, 1–10.
James, P. (2004). Obesity: The worldwide epidemic. Clinics in Dermatology, 23, 276–280.
Janghorbani, M., & Parvin, F. (1998). Prevalence of overweight and thinness in high-school girls in Kerman, Iran. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 22, 629–633.
Kaluski, D.N., & Berry, E.M. (2005). Prevalence of obesity in Israel. Obesity Reviews, 6, 115–116.
Katzmarzyk, P.T., Srinivasan, S.R., & Chen, W. (2004). Body mass index, waist circumference, and clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors in a biracial sample of children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 114, e198–e205.
Keinan-Boker, L., Noyman, N., Chinich, A., Green, M.S., & Nitzan-Kaluski, D. (2005). Overweight and obesity in Israel: findings of the first national health and nutrition survey (MABAT). Israel Medical Association Journal, 7, 219–223.
Kelishadi, R. (2006). Global Dimension of Childhood Obesity in the Eastern Mediterranean region. In R.K. Flamenbaum (Ed). Global dimensions of childhood obesity (pp. 71–89). New York: Nova Science Publishers.
Kelishadi, R. (2007). Childhood overweight, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome in developing countries. Epidemiologic Reviews, 29, 62–76.
Kelishadi, R., Hashemipour, M., Sarraf-Zadegan, N., & Amiri, M. (2001). Trend of atherosclerosis risk factors in children of Isfahan. Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic Annals, 9, 36–40.
Kelishadi, R., Pour, M.H., Sarraf-Zadegan, N., Sadry, G.H., Ansari, R., Alikhassy, H., & Bashardoust, N. (2003) Obesity and associated modifiable environmental factors in Iranian adolescents: Isfahan Healthy Heart Program-Heart Health Promotion from Childhood. Pediatrics International, 45, 435–442.
Kelishadi, R., Hashemipour, M., Sadeghi, M., Roohafza, H.R., Tavasoli, A.A., & Khosravi, A. (2005). The impact of familial factors on obesity in Iranian children and adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Neonatal, 2, 16–23.
Kelishadi, R., Ardalan, G., Gheiratmand, R., Gouya, M.M., Razhagi, E.M., Delavari, A., Majdzadeh, R., Heshmat, R., Motoghian, M., Barekati, H., Mahmoud-Arabi, M.S., & Riazi, M.M. (2007). Association of physical activity and dietary behaviours in relation to the body mass index in a national sample of Iranian children and adolescents: CASPIAN study. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 85, 19–26.
Kelishadi, R., Alikhani, S., Delavari, A., Alaedini, F., Safaie, A., & Hojatzadeh, E. (2008). Obesity and associated lifestyle behaviors in Iran: findings from the First National Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Public Health Nutrition, 11, 246–251.
Kharboush, I.F., Youssef, A.A., Makhlouf, M.M., Zaghloul, A.A., El-Hamid, A.A., & El Masry, A.G. (2005). Women health in poor urban settings in Alexandria. Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association, 80, 321–348.
Kolahdooz, F., Sheikholeslam, R., Naghavi, M., & Abdollah, Z. (2004). Junk food consumption: an indicator of changing dietary habit in Iranian children. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 13, S121.
Kuczmarski, R.J., Ogden, C.L., & Grummer-Strawn, L.M. (2000). CDC growth charts: United States. Advanced Data, 314, 1–27.
Lafta, R.K., Al Saffar, A.J., Eisa, S.A., Hayyawi, A.H., & Abdulhameed, F.N. (2007). Obesity in children: A sample from Baghdad. Qatar Medical Journal, 16, 10–15.
Laouani Kechrid, C., Hmouda, H., Ben Naceur, M.H., Ghannem, H., Toumi, S., & Ajmi, F. (2004). High blood pressure for people aged more than 60 years in the district of Sousse. Tunis Medicine, 82, 1001–1005.
Lasserre, A., Chiolero, A., Paccaud, F., & Bovet, P. (2007). Worldwide trends in childhood obesity. Swiss Medical Weekly, 137, 157–158.
Levin, B.E., & Govek, E. (1998). Gestational obesity accentuates obesity in obesity-prone progeny. American Journal of Physiology, 275, R1374–1379.
Marsh, H., Hau, K.T., Sung, R.Y.T., & Yu, C.W. (2007). Childhood obesity, gender, actual-ideal body image discrepancies, and physical self-concept in Hong-Kong children: cultural differences in the value of moderation. Developmental Psychology, 43, 647–662.
Maziak, W., Rastam, S., Mzayek, F., Ward, K.D., Eissenberg, T., & Keil, U. (2007). Cardiovascular health among adults in Syria: a model from developing countries. Annals of Epidemiology, 17, 713–720.
Mohammadpour-Ahranjani, B., Rashidi, A., Karandish, M., Eshraghian, M.R., & Kalantari, N. (2004). Prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescent Tehrani students, 2000–2001: an epidemic health problem. Public Health Nutrition, 7, 645–648.
Mokhtar, N., Elati, J., Chabir, R., Bour, A., Elkari, K., Schlossman, N., Caballero, B., & Aguenaou, H. (2001). Diet culture and obesity in Northern Africa. The Journal of Nutrition, 131, 887S-892S.
Monteiro, C.A., Conde, W.L., & Popkin, B.M. (2002). Is obesity replacing to undernutrition? Evidence from different social classes in Brazil. Public Health Nutrition, 5, 105–112.
Monteiro, C.A., Conde, W.L., Lu, B., & Popkin, B.M. (2004). Obesity and inequities in health in the developing world. International Journal of Obesity, 28, 1181–1186.
Moreno, L.A., Pineda, I., & Rodriguez, G. (2002). Waist circumference for the screening of the metabolic syndrome in children. Acta Paediatrica, 91, 1307- 1312.
Moussa, M.A., Shaltout, A.A., Mourad, M., Alsheikh, N., Agha, N., & Galal, D.O. (1999). Factors associated with obesity in Kuwaiti children. European Journal of Epidemiolology, 15, 41–49.
Must, A., Dallal, G.E., & Dietz, W.H. (1991). Reference data for obesity: 85th and 95th percentile of body mass index and triceps skinfold thickness. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 53, 839–846.
National Health Accounts (NHA) (2003). National Health Accounts and its relevance to policymaking in the Middle East and North Africa. NHA Regional Policy Brief, 1–4.
Onis, M. (2004). The use of anthropometry in the prevention of childhood overweight. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 28, S81-S85.
Papandreou, C., Abu Murad, T., Jideh, C., Abdeen, Z., Philalithis, A., & Tzanakis, N. (2008). Obesity in Mediterranean region (1997–2007): a systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 9, 389–399.
Rguibi, M., & Belahsen, R. (2004). Overweight and obesity among urban Sahraoui women of South Morocco. Ethnicity and Disease, 14, 542–547.
Rguibi, M., & Belahsen, R. (2007). Prevalence of obesity in Morocco. Obesity Reviews, 8, 11–13.
Salazar-Martinez, E., Allen, B., Fernandez-Ortega, C., Torres-Mejia, G., Galal, O., & Lazcano-Ponce, E. (2006). Overweight and obesity status among adolescents from Mexico and Egypt. Archives of Medical Research, 37, 535–542.
Sheikholeslam, R., Mohamad, A., Mohamad, K., & Vaseghi, S. (2004). Non communicable disease risk factors in Iran. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 13, S100.
Sibai, A., Hwalla, N., Adra, N., & Rahal, B. (2003). Prevalence and covariates of obesity in Lebanon: Findings from the first epidemiological study. Obesity Research, 11, 1353–1361.
Soutoudeh, G., Khosravi, Sh., Khajehnasiri, F., & Khalkhali, H.R. (2005). High prevalence of overweight and obesity in women of Islamshahr, Iran. Asia Pacific of Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 14, 169–172.
University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. (October 2008); http://www.ucsfhealth.org
Wang, Y., & Lobstein, T. (2006). Worldwide trends in childhood over-weight and obesity. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 1, 11–25.
Whitaker, R.C., & Dietz, W.H. (1998). Role of the prenatal environment in the development of obesity. Journal of Pediatrics, 132, 768–776.
World Development Indicators (WDI), World Bank (2008). Middle East and North Africa: regional data from the WDI database. Regional Fact Sheet from the World Development Indicators 11 April 2008, 1–2.
World Health Organization (WHO) (1997). Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report of a WHO Consultation on Obesity, Geneva: World Health Organization.
World Health Organization (WHO) Europe (2005). The challenge of obesity in the WHO European Region. Fact sheet EURO/13/05 2005, 1–6.
World Health Organization (WHO) Europe (2007). European environment and health information system. Prevalence of excess body weight and obesity in children and adolescents. Fact sheet No.2.3 2007, 1–4.
Yahia, N., Achkar, A., Abdallah, A., & Rizk, S. (2008). Eating habits and obesity among Lebanese university students. Nutrition Journal, 7, 32.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Elzein, H., Hamadeh, S. (2011). Prevalence and Etiology: Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Countries. In: Moreno, L., Pigeot, I., Ahrens, W. (eds) Epidemiology of Obesity in Children and Adolescents. Springer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health, vol 2. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6039-9_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6039-9_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-6038-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-6039-9
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)