Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9(5), 1984-1996; doi:10.3390/ijerph9051984
Article

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

Sameer Al Zenki 1,* email, Husam Al Omirah 1 email, Suad Al Hooti 1 email, Nawal Al Hamad 2 email, Robert T. Jackson 3 email, Aravinda Rao 4 email, Nasser Al Jahmah 4 email, Ina'am Al Obaid 4 email, Jameela Al Ghanim 1 email, Mona Al Somaie 2 email, Sahar Zaghloul 5 email and Amani Al Othman 1 email
1 Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, PO Box 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait 2 Ministry of Health, Food and Nutrition Administration, PO Box 24225, Safat 13103, Kuwait 3 Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA 4 Ministry of Health, Medical Laboratories Services, Sabah Hospital Laboratories, PO Box 24225, Safat 13103, Kuwait 5 National Nutrition Institute, 16 Kasr El Aini Street, Cairo, Egypt
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 20 April 2012; in revised form: 4 May 2012 / Accepted: 15 May 2012 / Published: 23 May 2012
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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

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MDPI and ACS Style

Al Zenki, S.; Al Omirah, H.; Al Hooti, S.; Al Hamad, N.; Jackson, R.T.; Rao, A.; Al Jahmah, N.; Al Obaid, I.; Al Ghanim, J.; Al Somaie, M.; Zaghloul, S.; Al Othman, A. High Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among Kuwaiti Adults —A Wake-Up Call for Public Health Intervention. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9, 1984-1996.

AMA Style

Al Zenki S, Al Omirah H, Al Hooti S, Al Hamad N, Jackson RT, Rao A, Al Jahmah N, Al Obaid I, Al Ghanim J, Al Somaie M, Zaghloul S, Al Othman A. High Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among Kuwaiti Adults —A Wake-Up Call for Public Health Intervention. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2012; 9(5):1984-1996.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Al Zenki, Sameer; Al Omirah, Husam; Al Hooti, Suad; Al Hamad, Nawal; Jackson, Robert T.; Rao, Aravinda; Al Jahmah, Nasser; Al Obaid, Ina'am; Al Ghanim, Jameela; Al Somaie, Mona; Zaghloul, Sahar; Al Othman, Amani. 2012. "High Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among Kuwaiti Adults —A Wake-Up Call for Public Health Intervention." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 9, no. 5: 1984-1996.

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