SynthesisScientific reports2020
Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in the Middle East and North Africa: An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
88 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 115 citations in OpenAlex.
- The epidemiology of unintentional falls among older people in the Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Pooled it
- The Use of Mobile Technologies to Promote Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Behaviors in the Middle East and North Africa Region: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Sleep disorders and associated factors among medical students in the Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Full-Day Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Levels of Typically Developing Children and Adolescents in the Middle East: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the proportion of physically active children and adults worldwide: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Depression among healthcare workers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Human resources for health · 2021Pooled it
- Perceived stress, stressors, and coping strategies among nursing students in the Middle East and North Africa: an overview of systematic reviews.Systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Barriers and Facilitators Associated with Physical Activity in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A Systematic Overview.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Physician burnout in the Eastern Mediterranean region: influence of gender and related factors - Systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2021Pooled it
- Changes in Sedentary Time and Implicit Preference for Sedentary Behaviors in Response to a One-Month Educational Intervention in Primary School Children: Results from the Globe Trotter Pilot Cluster-Randomized Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- Hawthorne Effect in Screening Ambulatory Activity Status Using Wearable Pedometers Varies Across Age Groups.AJPM focus · 2026Article
- Midlife Vascular and Lifestyle Determinants of Late-Life Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Life-Course Prevention Framework with a Gulf (GCC) Perspective.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Dementia in the Middle East and North Africa: an integrative narrative review of epidemiology, risk structure, and health system implications.Journal of global health · 2026Review
- Handgrip strength and physical activity intensity levels in Emirati female college students.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Insights into cardiovascular health: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Capability Assessment for Diet and Activity (CADA) and Its Influencing Factors Among Healthcare Workers in the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia, 2026: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Assessment of Lifestyle and Dietary Patterns Among Students at the University of Human Development in Sulaimani City: A Cross-Sectional Study 2025-2026.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Sleep Duration and Quality, Sleep Disorders and Their Association with Adiposity Markers in Adults from the Middle East: A Systematic Review.Nature and science of sleep · 2026Review
- Sex-specific BMI, 24-hour movement behaviors, motor skills, and executive functions in Tunisian preschool children: an observational cross-sectional study.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To support the global strategy to reduce risk factors for obesity, we synthesized the evidence on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Our systematic overview included seven systematic reviews reporting 229 primary studies. The meta-analysis included 125 prevalence measures from 20 MENA countries. After 2000, 50.8% of adults (ranging from 13.2% in Sudan to 94.9% in Jordan) and 25.6% of youth (ranging from 8.3% in Egypt to 51.0% in Lebanon) were sufficiently active. Limited data on PA behaviours is available for MENA countries, with the exception of Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The meta-regression identified gender and geographical coverage among youth, and the PA measurement as predictors of PA prevalence for both adults and youth. Our analysis suggests a significant PA prevalence increase among adults over the last two decades. The inconsistency in sedentary behaviour measurement is related to the absence of standardized guidelines for its quantification and interpretation. The global epidemic of insufficient PA is prevalent in MENA. Lower PA participation among youth and specifically females should be addressed by focused lifestyle interventions. The recognition of sedentary behaviour as a public health issue in the region remains unclear. Additional data on PA behaviours is needed from low- and middle-income countries in the region.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.