The Double Burden of Obesity and Underweight in Yemeni Adults

Yemen has a unique low-income population with several sociopolitical challenges and the association between weight disorders and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors is not clearly understood.

The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of obesity, overweight and underweight among Yemeni adults, and to identify their associated factors.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from 11 January to 25 March 2020, including 561 subjects of Yemen's adult population aged 18 and above, from four Yemeni governorates, who answered a questionnaire including demographic, socio-economic, and physical activity items after getting their signed consent. Height and weight were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was computed. The association between obesity or overweight (BMI ≥ 25.0kg/m²) or underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m²) and the other variables was analyzed using multinomial logistic regression.

A total of 561 subjects aged ≥ 18 years have participated in this survey. The overall prevalence of obesity and overweight was 10.3%, 95% CI [7.7%; 12.8%] and 20.3%, 95% CI [17%; 23.5%] respectively, while the one for underweight was 21.2%, 95% CI [17.8%; 24.5%]. The risk of overweight-obesity increased with age (OR=1.02, 95% CI (1.01-1.03)), living in urban areas (OR= 1.680, 95% CI (1.105-2.552)) and average-high socioeconomic status (SES) (OR= 1.729, 95% CI (1.156-2.587)) while the risk of underweight decreased with the age (OR= 0.981, 95% CI (0.964-0.998)).

These findings provide a special case of high prevalence of obesity, overweight, and underweight in Yemen. Therefore, implementing awareness and prevention programs is highly recommended there.