High Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among Kuwaiti Adults —A Wake-Up Call for Public Health Intervention

Sameer Al Zenki, Husam Al Omirah, Suad Al Hooti, Nawal Al Hamad, Robert T. Jackson, Aravinda Rao, Nasser Al Jahmah, Ina'am Al Obaid, Jameela Al Ghanim, Mona Al Somaie, Sahar Zaghloul and Amani Al Othman
Additional contact information
Sameer Al Zenki: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, PO Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait
Husam Al Omirah: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, PO Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait
Suad Al Hooti: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, PO Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait
Nawal Al Hamad: Ministry of Health, Food and Nutrition Administration, PO Box 24225, Safat 13103, Kuwait
Robert T. Jackson: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Aravinda Rao: Ministry of Health, Medical Laboratories Services, Sabah Hospital Laboratories, PO Box 24225, Safat 13103, Kuwait
Nasser Al Jahmah: Ministry of Health, Medical Laboratories Services, Sabah Hospital Laboratories, PO Box 24225, Safat 13103, Kuwait
Ina'am Al Obaid: Ministry of Health, Medical Laboratories Services, Sabah Hospital Laboratories, PO Box 24225, Safat 13103, Kuwait
Jameela Al Ghanim: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, PO Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait
Mona Al Somaie: Ministry of Health, Food and Nutrition Administration, PO Box 24225, Safat 13103, Kuwait
Sahar Zaghloul: National Nutrition Institute, 16 Kasr El Aini Street, Cairo, Egypt
Amani Al Othman: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, PO Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait

IJERPH, 2012, vol. 9, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: The socio-economic development which followed the discovery of oil resources brought about considerable changes in the food habits and lifestyle of the Kuwaiti population. Excessive caloric intake and decreased energy expenditure due to a sedentary lifestyle have led to a rapid increase in obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable chronic diseases in the population. In this paper, we examine the prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) among Kuwaiti adults (?20 years) using data from the first national nutrition survey conducted between July 2008 and November 2009. The prevalence of MetS was 37.7% in females and 34.2% in males by NCEP criteria, whereas the values were 40.1% in females and 41.7% in males according to IDF criteria. Prevalence of MetS increased with age and was higher in females than males. The high prevalence of the MetS in Kuwaiti adults warrants urgent public health measures to prevent morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular complications in the future.

Keywords: metabolic syndrome; obesity; gender differences; international definitions; epidemiology; cardiovascular diseases; Kuwait (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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