ArticleBMC obesity2019
Prevalence of obesity among school-age children and adolescents in the Gulf cooperation council (GCC) states: a systematic review.
Article in BMC obesity, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A systematic review of school-based weight-related interventions in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.Systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A Cross-Sectional Study Investigating the Relationship Between theObesity science & practice · 2026Article
- Body mass index impact on health care utilization among people with diabetes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Physical activity participation and obesity-related risk behaviors among male Saudi adolescents: a social cognitive theory perspective.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Challenges in child and adolescent health across the Arab Gulf countries-Focus on metabolic health.Clinical obesity · 2025Review
- Exploring Hirsutism: Epidemiology, Associated Endocrinal Abnormalities, and Societal Challenges in GCC-A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Evaluation of the impact of a family physician-led lifestyle clinic on overweight and obesity: A clustered randomized trial in Hail, Saudi Arabia.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2025Article
- Dyslipidemia profiles and their sex-dimorphic impact on cardiometabolic risk in Arab adolescents.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- An examination of the predictors of change in BMI among 38 026 school students in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.International health · 2024Article
- Pregnant Women's Perception and Knowledge of the Impact of Obesity on Prenatal Outcomes-A Cross-Sectional Study.Nutrients · 2023Article
- School children growth monitoring program in the state of Qatar: Observations from two survey rounds in 2016-17 and 2019-20.Public health challenges · 2023Article
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Physical and Mental Health of School-Aged Children.HCA healthcare journal of medicine · 2023Review
- Adolescent obesity and ANGPTL8: correlations with high sensitivity C-reactive protein, leptin, and chemerin.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Article
- Increased LRG1 Levels in Overweight and Obese Adolescents and Its Association with Obesity Markers, Including Leptin, Chemerin, and High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Article
- Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Kuwaiti adolescents and the perception of body weight by parents or friends.PloS one · 2022Article
- Physical Activity Levels of 1053 Omani 4th Grade Children: The Importance of Gender and Sport Team Participation in Achieving 60 Minutes of Daily Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Alterations in glutathione redox homeostasis among adolescents with obesity and anemia.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Associated Risk Factors in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have among the highest prevalence of adult obesity and type 2 diabetes in the world. This study aimed to estimate the recent prevalence of obesity among school-age children and adolescents in the GCC States.
methodsThe literature search for obesity prevalence data was carried out in July 2017 in Google Scholar, Physical education index, Medline, SCOPUS, WHO, 2007-2017, and updated in November 2018.In addition, 22 experts from the GCC were contacted to check the search results, and to suggest studies or grey literature which had been missed. Eligible studies were assessed for quality by using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tool for prevalence studies. Conduct of the systematic review followed the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews Tool (AMSTAR) guidance. A narrative synthesis was conducted.
resultsOut of 392 studies identified, 41 full-text reports were screened for eligibility; 11 of which were eligible and so were included, from 3 of the 6 GCC countries (United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia). Surveillance seems good in Kuwait in compared to other countries, with one recent national survey of prevalence. Quality of the eligible studies was generally low-moderate according to the JNBI tool: representative samples were rare; participation rates low; power calculations were mentioned by only 3/11 studies and confidence intervals around prevalence estimates provided by only 3/11 eligible studies; none of the studies acknowledged that prevalence estimates were conservative (being based on BMI-for-age). There was generally a very high prevalence of obesity (at least one quarter-one third of study or survey participants obese according to BMI-for-age), prevalence increased with age, and was consistently higher in boys than girls.
conclusionsThe prevalence of obesity among school-age children and adolescents appears to have reached alarming levels in the GCC, but there are a number of major gaps and limitations in obesity surveillance in the GCC states. More national surveys of child and adolescent obesity prevalence are required for the GCC states.
trial registrationPROSPERO registration number CRD42017073692.
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