Background This study aimed to investigate the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and depression symptoms among adolescents in Kuwait, a country with a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. Methods A school based cross-sectional study was conducted on randomly selected 704 adolescents in middle schools. Data on depression symptoms were collected using the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Data on covariates were collected from the parents by self-administered questionnaire and from adolescents by face-to-face interview. Blood samples were analyzed in an accredited laboratory; and 25(OH)D was measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results Of 704 adolescents, 94 (13.35%; 95%CI:10.35–17.06%) had depression symptom (a score of 19 or more on the CDI). There was no significant difference in the median CDI score between different vitamin D status (p = 0.366). There was also no significant correlation between serum 25(OH)D concentration and CDI score (Spearman’s rank correlation = 0.01; p = 0.825).There was no significant association between 25(OH)D and depression symptoms whether 25(OH)D was fitted as a continuous variable (crude odds ratio (OR) 0 .99 [95%CI: 0.98, 1.01], p = 0.458 and adjusted OR 1.01 [95%CI: 0.99, 1.02], p = 0.233), categorical variable as per acceptable cut-of points (crude analysis p = 0.376 and adjusted analysis p = 0.736), or categorical variable as quartiles (crude analysis p = 0.760 and adjusted analysis p = 0.549). Conclusion Vitamin D status does not seem to be associated with depression symptoms among adolescents in our setting. Nevertheless, it is important to have sufficient vitamin D levels during adolescence for several other health benefits.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the sex- and age-specific trends of stunting and combined overweight with stunting among schoolchildren over a 13-year period in Kuwait. Subjects and Methods: The Kuwait Nutrition Surveillance System objectively measured the height of 172,573 schoolchildren (5–19 years) over a 13-year period (2007–2019). Data on gender and date of birth were extracted from school records. Stunting was defined as height 2 standard deviations (SD) below the World Health Organization growth reference median. Logistic regression models were used to examine the trends of stunting over the study period while stratifying by gender. Results: In males, the prevalence of stunting increased from 2.46% in 2007 to 4.18% in 2019 (p for trend <0.001). In females, the prevalence of stunting fluctuated but remained around 3.80% in both 2007 and 2019. The odds of stunting significantly increased in the period 2017–2019 compared to the period 2007–2010 among males, adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.04 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14–1.76); p = 0.009, but not females, AOR 0.89 (95% CI: 0.73–1.07); p = 0.176. Although not statistically significant, there was a tendency for the odds of combined overweight with stunting to increase in males, AOR 1.65 (95% CI: 0.90–3.04); p = 0.087, but not females, AOR 1.13 (95% CI: 0.88–1.45); p = 0.248. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of stunting and combined stunting with overweight is low, there is an emerging upward trend in schoolboys that warrants further investigation and monitoring. This highlights the need for gender-specific interventions to reduce nutritional abnormalities in high-income countries in the Middle East countries like Kuwait.
Objectives: This study aimed to examine age-specific trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren in Kuwait over a 13-year period (2007 to 2019) using the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) definitions. Design: Using cross-sectional approach, Kuwait Nutrition Surveillance System (KNSS) objectively measured weight and height of schoolchildren over a 13-year period. Log-binomial regression models were used to examine age-specific trends of obesity and overweight over the study period. Setting: Public primary, middle, and high schools in all provinces of Kuwait. Participants: Schoolchildren aged 5-19 years (N 172 603) Results: According to the WHO definition, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren respectively increased from 17.73% and 21.37% in 2007 to 20.19% and 28.39% in 2019 (P for trends<0.001). There is evidence that the obesity in females (but not males) has levelled off in the period 2014-2019 according to the three definitions of obesity, which is corroborated by a similar trend in the mean of BMI-for-age Z score. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity and overweight in schoolchildren in Kuwait has risen over the last 13 years and trends are similar across all definitions. Obesity is no longer increasing at the same pace and there is evidence that the prevalence of obesity in females has plateaued. The current level of childhood overweight and obesity is too high and requires community-based and school-based interventions.
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