A Review of Prevalence of Obesity in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Obesity is regarded as a significant public health issue, which has raised a concern globally. The WHO claims that, obesity has more than doubled worldwide, since 1980. More than 1.9 adults were overweight, in the year 2014, including over 600 million obese individuals. 39% of the adults were overweight and 14% were obese. Moreover, it is found that 41 million children (under age 5) around the world in 2014 were either overweight or obese [6]. Previous studies have revealed that obesity is among the major cause of co-morbidities, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, and the related issues that may lead to morbidity and mortality. In most of the countries, the high total obesity and overweight cost represents a relative economic burden on the GDP. Over the last decade, the prevalence of obesity has increased significantly in several developed and developing countries [7]. The current research paper focuses on obesity in Saudi Arabia, which has now one of the highest obesity and overweight prevalence rates [3]. Sabra examine obesity among female nursing students in Dammam, Saudi Arabia using waist to hip ratio (WHR) and body mass index (BMI). The study collected data with the help of an interviewer-administered questionnaire, from a sample of 260 female nursing students. The results of the study indicate the dietary pattern and life style, according to which 71.5% of the respondents do not share family members in their meals, 46.9% watch television while eating, and 35.7% take snacks as their main eating pattern. In addition, 82.7% of the students consume fast/junk food 1 to 6 times/week and 73.1% consume soft drinks more than 7 times/week. According to the BMI results, almost half of the students (51.5%) have normal weight; and 23.1% and 3.8% are overweight and obese respectively. It is also found that 19.2% of the respondents are underweight. 33% have abnormally unacceptable WHR, which is more prevalent among those who are found overweight by BMI. It is also observed that family history is significantly associated with prevalence of obesity in female nursing students. It is argued that data on obesity related to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is non-existent, which restrained evaluation of government efforts in controlling obesity trends in the country [8]. In this regard, Memish et al. conducted a national survey to examine obesity and its associated factors in KSA; and in the process, interviewed 10,735 individuals aged 15 years and older. The research collected data regarding physical activities, diet, health-related behaviours and habits, socio-demographics characteristics, anthropometric measurements, use and access to healthcare, and chronic diseases of the respondents using computer assisted personal interviews. The results reveal that 28.7% of the total respondents are obese, with a BMI greater than 30 kg/m 2 , which is more prevalent among women (33.5%) than men (24.1%). Obesity, among men is associated with diet, marital status, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diagnoses of diabetes, and physical activity. Among women, it is related with