Professional nutrition journals from Arabic-speaking countries: A regional status

The Arabic-speaking region is affected by a public health nutrition crisis characterised by both under- and overnutrition. Previous studies have described the full spectrum of medical, biomedical and public health journals within the Arabic-speaking region. The aim of this brief communication is to highlight the current status of professional nutrition journals in the Arabic-speaking region and demonstrate a gap between need and availability. An electronic search examined five databases to identify nutrition journals published in the Arabic-speaking region. Journal sites were evaluated for primary scope, publication history, current status, available formats and language. The search revealed 12 nutrition journals associated with Arabic-speaking countries. Two journals have a current publication history of 20 or more consecutive years. The majority were discontinued or interrupted at the time data were collected; five have done so within the last 10 years. The high prevalence of under- and overnutrition in Arabic-speaking countries is not reflected by the nutrition journals currently available, which are required to communicate relevant research to health professional and policymakers working in the area of public health nutrition