Comparison of BMI-for-age in adolescent girls in 3 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

International comparisons of adolescent overweight and obesity are hampered by the lack of a single agreed measurement reference. We compared 3 BMI-for-age references on samples of adolescent girls from Egypt, Kuwait and Lebanon. Overweight and obesity was highest in Kuwait and lowest in Lebanon. Performance of the 3 standards differed only slightly although one was particularly applicable in country-to-country comparisons.