Obesity has become one of the main health problems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), which refers to all Arab countries (excluding Algeria), in addition to Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. Studies on overweight and obesity in the EMR have increased remarkably during the last decade. A systematic literature review of studies published in English between January 2000 and June 2011 using Pubmed and Google Scholar database was carried out. Keywords included overweight, obesity, anthropometric measurements, weight status and body mass index for each country in the EMR. Papers published in Arabic, Persian or in local Journals not abstracted in Pubmed or Google Scholar database were excluded.
We hope that this document provides useful information on main studies published on overweight and obesity in the EMR.