Prevalence of obesity among school children in the United Arab Emirates

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of obesity among schoolchildren in the United Arab Emirates, using the body mass index (BMI) as the indicator. The sample included 1,787 males and 2,288 females 6-16 years. Physicians and trained nurses measured height and weight, and the BMI (kg/m(2)) was calculated. The 50(th) centile of the BMI was not different from that for the US. Similarly, the height and weight of UAE children approximate the US reference data. About 8% of UAE boys and girls have BMI's >/=95(th) percentile of US reference values. Using the 85(th) percentile as the criterion, 16.5% and 16.9% of males and females, respectively, are classified as overweight. This composite figure does not differ from the expected 15% based on reference data. The data thus indicate that high levels of obesity are present among UAE children and adolescents. These findings have public health implications for this generation of UAE youth during their adult years, including heart disease and diabetes, because the rate of morbid obesity is approximately twice that expected in reference data. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:498-502, 2000.