Understanding the risk and protective factors associated with obesity amongst Libyan adults - a qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundThere are a range of multifaceted behavioural and societal factors that combine to contribute to the causes of obesity. However, it is not yet known how particularly countries’ cultural norms are contributing to the global obesity epidemic. Despite obesity reaching epidemic proportions in Libya, since the discovery of oil in 1959, there is a lack of information about obesity in Libyan adults. This study sought to explore the views of key informants about the risk and protective factors associated with obesity among Libyan men and women.MethodsA series of qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with Libyan healthcare professionals and community leaders.ResultsEleven main themes (risk and protective factors) were identified, specifically: socio-demographic and biological factors, socioeconomic status, unhealthy eating behaviours, knowledge about obesity, social-cultural influences, Libya’s healthcare facilities, physical activity and the effect of the neighbourhood environment, sedentary behaviour, Libyan food-subsidy policy, and suggestions for preventing and controlling obesity.ConclusionsKey recommendations are that an electronic health information system needs to be implemented and awareness about obesity and its causes and consequences needs to be raised among the public in order to dispel the many myths and misconceptions held by Libyans about obesity. The current political instability within Libya is contributing to a less-active lifestyle for the population due to security concerns and the impact of curfews. Our findings have implications for Libyan health policy and highlight the urgent need for action towards mitigating against the obesity epidemic in Libya.

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Libyan Men and Women

“…Although an increase in the prevalence of obesity has been reported in many countries around the world, the rate of increase in Libya has been observed to be particularly high. The prevalence of obesity in Libya has more than doubled in the last three decades, from 12.6% in 1984 to 30.5% in 2009 [11, 16, 22–25]. Consequently, it may be concluded that the prevalence of obesity in Libya had increased by more than a third over the previous six years from 2009 when it was 30.5% until this year 2016 when it was estimated to be 42.4% in this study.…”

“…A large body of literature has shown that there is a paucity of studies about the prevalence of obesity in adults in Arab countries in the North African region, particularly Libya [9, 10]. Since the discovery of oil in 1959, Libya has witnessed dramatic social, economic, and political transformations in the past five decades, including notable shifts in dietary and physical activity patterns [11]. It is likely that obesity has profound consequences for Libyan society as a whole [12].…”

“…Obesity has become a serious health concern within the Libyan context because obesity poses a major risk for serious diet-related deadly diseases leading to disability and premature death which might attribute to the rates of obesity dramatically increasing in the Libyan adult population [13, 14]. Furthermore, obesity causes various psychological, social, and economic implications [13, 15], which lead to increased morbidity, mortality, and economic losses. Therefore, it is convincible to conduct survey research to estimate the accurate assessment of overweight and obesity of prevalence among adults in the Libyan population.…”

“…Libya is following the trend observed in developing countries of steadily becoming more obese, such that obesity in Libya has reached epidemic proportions in the twenty-first century; within all ages obesity is continuing to grow [11, 16, 22–24]. The obesity rate (BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 ) has more than doubled in the last three decades, from 12.6% in 1984 to 30.5% in 2009, while the prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m 2 ) has more than tripled from 19.5 % in 1984 to 63.5 % in 2009 [11, 16, 22–25]. Accordingly, Libya was ranked 35 th on the list of the world's fattest countries based on this last estimation, in 2009 [26].…”

“…The prevalence of obesity and overweight in both genders has increased substantially from 1984 to 2014 [11, 16, 22–25]; see Figures 1 and 2. In addition, these figures have shown that prevalence of obesity and overweight is steadily increasing despite the fact that in recent years 2009-2014 relied on estimated prevalence instead of measuring the prevalence of obesity based on empirical studies.…”