Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
ISSN: 2155-9600
+32 25889658
Wegdan Baniissa
University of Sharjah, united arab emirates
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci
Objectives To estimate the prevalence and predictors of obesity among adolescents in the United Arab Emirates. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Private and public secondary schools. Participants Adolescents aged 13–19 years; 434 (46.6%) from private schools and 498 (53.4%) from public schools. Measures Selfreport questionnaires were used to assess adolescents’ sociodemographic factors, fruit/vegetable (F/V) intake and physical activity. Participants’ weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference and body fat percentage (%BF) were measured, and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. Overweight/obesity was determined by BMI ≥85th percentile for age, abdominal obesity (AO) (WC, WHtR and WHR) and %BF. Results A total of 34.7% of participants were overweight/ obese (BMI ≥85th percentile) and 378 (40.6%) had high %BF. AO was noted in 47.3%, 22.7% and 27.1% of participants, based on WC, WHR and WHtR, respectively. Significantly more participants from public schools were overweight/obese (37.8% vs 31.1%) and had greater AO (based on WC, WHR, WHtR) compared with those from private schools. Predictors of obesity based on BMI were: consuming less than five servings of F/V (adjusted OR (AOR) 2.41, 95% CI: 1.73 to 3.36), being physically inactive (AOR 2.09, CI: 1.36 to 3.22) and being men (AOR 3.35, 95% CI: 2.20 to 5.10). Predictors of AO were being men (WC: AOR 1.42, 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.00; WHtR: AOR 2.72, 95% CI: 1.81 to 4.08); studying at public school (WHR: AOR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.06 to 2.66); being Emirati (WHR: AOR 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.90); consuming less than five servings of F/V (WC: AOR 1.71, 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.30; WHtR: AOR 1.46, 95% CI: 1.05 to 2.03), and being physically inactive (WC: AOR 1.63; 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.35)
Dr. Wegdan Bani issa is an associate professor at university of Sharjah, college of health sciences, nursing department/UAE.She finished her masters in nursing science from University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada and her PhD from the University of Kansas Medical Center, USA. She is specialized in diabetes care and management and nursing education. Dr. Bani issa has several publications in her specialty in the area of diabetes care and women health.