Obesity Among Kuwaitis Aged 50 Years or Older: Prevalence, Correlates and

Objectives: Obesity is a serious global health prob-lem. Our objectives are to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity among elderly Kuwaitis aged 50 or older, examine their sociodemographic corre-lates, and analyze the association between obesity and its comorbidities. Methods: A cross-sectional face-to-face interview survey using a structured ques-tionnaire was conducted among 2,443 Kuwaiti men and women aged 50 or older. Height and weight were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Results: About 81 % respondents were overweight of whom 46 % were obese. Mean BMI was 30.0 (31.2 for women and 28.1 for men). Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that relatively young elderly Kuwaitis (50–59) were 1.7 and 2.2 times more likely to be overweight and obese, respectively, compared with those aged 70 or older. Married individuals had 2.3 times higher risk to be overweight or obese than non-married indi-viduals. Women were 3.6 times more likely to suf-fer from obesity than men. Overweight and obesity were found to be independent risk factors for hyper-tension (OR = 1.3 and 1.9, respectively), diabetes (OR = 1.4), and osteoarthritis (OR = 1.8 and 1.6, respectively). Conclusions: Prevalence of over-weight and obesity is alarmingly high among elderly Kuwaitis. The associated disease burden is substantial. Stakeholders should address the problem and launch national extensive health-promoting campaigns target-ing perceptible lifestyle changes