BMI Levels Among Adolescents Aged 10-19 Years Attending Dubai Health Facilities in 2023.

Introduction Adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood, from ages 10 to 19 years. It is a critical developmental period characterized by rapid physical, psychological, and behavioral changes. Body mass index (BMI) is an important indicator of nutritional status and overall health, with both underweight and abnormal BMI levels associated with short- and long-term health consequences. This study aimed to assess BMI screening rate and BMI levels among adolescents aged 10-19 years attending Dubai Health facilities in 2023. Methods A retrospective descriptive study was conducted among adolescents aged 10-19 years who attended Dubai Health facilities between January 1 and December 31, 2023. Data were extracted from the EPIC electronic medical record system (Epic Systems Corporation, Verona, Wisconsin, United States) using the Slicer Dicer tool. BMI status was categorized according to World Health Organization (WHO) age- and sex-specific percentile criteria. BMI-for-age categories were extracted directly from the EPIC Slicer Dicer system without manual recalculation. Data analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, United States), and results were presented using descriptive statistics. Results A total of 496,498 adolescents were included in the study. Of these, 40,726 (8.2%) had documented BMI measurements, while 455,772 (91.8%) did not. Among adolescents with recorded BMI, 2,974 (7.3%) were underweight, 20,442 (50.2%) had normal BMI, 7,576 (18.6%) were overweight, and 9,734 (23.9%) were obese. Conclusion A significant proportion of adolescents did not undergo BMI screening in healthcare facilities, highlighting a major gap in routine health assessment. Among those assessed, a considerable proportion had abnormal BMI, including both underweight and overweight/obesity. These findings emphasize the need to strengthen BMI screening programs, promote early identification of nutritional abnormalities, and implement targeted public health interventions to improve adolescent health outcomes in Dubai.