title: Cardiovascular risk factor trends in the Eastern Mediterranean region: evidence from four countries is alarming.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many Eastern Mediterranean countries are undergoing dramatic socioeconomic, demographic and life style changes and face noncommunicable disease (NCD) epidemics. We evaluated recent trends in major NCD risk factors in occupied Palestinian territories (OPT), Turkey, Syria and Tunisia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched published and unpublished sources for systolic blood pressure (SBP), diabetes, smoking, body mass index (BMI), and cholesterol trends for both men and women aged 35-84 in each country from 1995 to 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smoking prevalence was stable over time in Tunisia and Syria, but decreasing in Turkey (annual change -0.9%) and OPT (annual change -0.7%). Mean BMI (annual change of 0.1% for Turkey, 0.2% for OPT and Tunisia and 0.3% in Syria) and diabetes (annual change of 0.3% for Turkey, 0.4% for OPT and Tunisia and 0.7% in Syria) prevalence increased in each country. SBP levels increased slightly in Tunisia and Syria but decreased in OPT and Turkey.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recent risk factor trends are worrying. Good quality data on the extent and determinants of NCDs are essential to respond the changing health needs of populations with burgeoning NCD epidemics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Katip Celebi University, Izmir, Turkey, drmelihkaan@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Kaan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sözmen
authors.forename: Belgin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ünal
authors.forename: Olfa
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saidi
authors.forename: Habiba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ben Romdhane
authors.forename: Niveen M E
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Abu-Rmeileh
authors.forename: Abdullatif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Husseini
authors.forename: Fouad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fouad
authors.forename: Wasim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maziak
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Flaherty
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Capewell
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Critchley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008877:Middle East / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012723:Sex; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol