Background. Obesity has become a significant public health issue worldwide, and it is a major risk factor for many noncommunicable diseases. This systematic review aimed to identify the prevalence of obesity and overweight in the Middle East region and different countries in this region. Materials and Methods. PubMed, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE databases were searched from 2000–2020 to identify relevant studies in the Middle East area. The survey was carried out using combinations of Medical Subject Headings (Mesh) keywords like “body mass index”, “obesity”, “overweight”, “prevalence”, “Middle-East”, and “Countries in the Middle East area”. Analysis of the data was done using STATA-14, and a random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. Results. A total of 101 studies with 698905 participants have been identified that met inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. The pooled estimates of the prevalence of obesity and overweight in the Middle East area were 21.17 (95% CI: 17.05–26.29) and 33.14 (95% CI: 26.87–40.87), respectively. The findings showed that obesity prevalence increased with age so that the highest prevalence of obesity and overweight was observed in people >40 years old. Obesity prevalence in the Middle East area remained steady between 2000–2006 and 2014–2020 (23%). During these time intervals, the prevalence of overweight decreased from 34.83 (95% CI: 32.40–37.45) to 32.85 (95% CI: 31.39–34.38). Conclusions. Despite the relative stabilization of the overweight and obesity trend in the Middle East, current interventions to combat the overweight epidemic need to be maintained and strengthened because the prevalence of overweight and obesity in this region is still very high. The prevalence of obesity increases with age so that people over 40 have the highest percentage of obesity and overweight. Therefore, implementing intervention programs to prevent and control obesity and overweight in the Middle East is essential.
Background: Planning cancer supportive care programs require assessing patients’ supportive needs. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate breast cancer patients’ supportive care needs and their related factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted this Zahedan, Iran, in 2020. Patients with breast cancer, who referred to the clinical oncology departments of Khatam-Al-Anbia hospital and Ali ibn Abi Talib hospital were selected by the census method. Standard questionnaires were distributed among the participants to obtain information and analyze data in SPSS software version 19.0. Results: This study examined 120 breast cancer patients with a mean age of 47.35 (SD 10.67) years. The patients’ highest and lowest need for help were related to health system/information (63.23 ± 20.80) and sexual needs (6.73 ± 19.66). Spearman’s correlation coefficient analysis indicated that social support and illness adjustment negatively correlated with many supportive care domains. Conclusions: Supportive care services, especially in the information and psychology domain, are needed for breast cancer patients in Zahedan, Iran. Patients can benefit from social support and positive coping strategies to help them cope with their disease.
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