Prevalence of overweight among adolescent females in the United Arab Emirates

The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of overweight in adolescent females in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A total of 898 females, ages 11-18 years, were recruited from five of the seven Emirates with the highest resident Emirati population. Height, weight, triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), and mid-upper-arm circumference were measured in each subject. Reference data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) were used for comparison. At risk for overweight or overweight were defined as a body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)) >or=85-95th percentile and >or=95th percentile, respectively. Mean values for BMI and TSF at all ages were higher than the 50th percentile (median) of the NHANES reference data. Using the BMI classification, 14% and 9% of all subjects were classified as at risk for overweight or overweight, respectively. The proportion of subjects at risk for overweight ranged between 7-19% and the prevalence of overweight ranged between 6-15%. The proportion of subjects with a BMI >or=85 percentile ranged from 15% at age 17 years to 33% at age 11 years. Furthermore, 27% and 28% of subjects ages 11 and 12 years, respectively, were above the TSF 90th percentile. These two age groups also showed a high prevalence of overweight using the BMI classification. In conclusion, the findings from our study suggest that a high proportion of adolescent females in the UAE are overweight or at risk for overweight. The consequences of this are a serious concern for public health and need to be addressed.