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. 2014 Oct 9:11:E174.
doi: 10.5888/pcd11.140236.

Obesity and associated factors--Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2013

Ziad A Memish  1 , Charbel El Bcheraoui  2 , Marwa Tuffaha  2 , Margaret Robinson  2 , Farah Daoud  2 , Sara Jaber  2 , Sarah Mikhitarian  2 , Mohammed Al Saeedi  3 , Mohammad A AlMazroa  3 , Ali H Mokdad  2 , Abdullah A Al Rabeeah  3
Affiliations

Obesity and associated factors--Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2013

Ziad A Memish et al. Prev Chronic Dis. .

Abstract

Introduction: Data on obesity from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) are nonexistent, making it impossible to determine whether the efforts of the Saudi Ministry of Health are having an effect on obesity trends. To determine obesity prevalence and associated factors in the KSA, we conducted a national survey on chronic diseases and their risk factors.

Methods: We interviewed 10,735 Saudis aged 15 years or older (51.1% women) through a multistage survey. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, health-related habits and behaviors, diet, physical activity, chronic diseases, access to and use of health care, and anthropometric measurements were collected through computer-assisted personal interviews. We first compared sociodemographic factors and body mass index between men and women. Next, we conducted a sex-specific analysis for obesity and its associated factors using backward elimination multivariate logistic regression models. We used SAS 9.3 for the statistical analyses and to account for the complex sampling design.

Results: Of the 10,735 participants evaluated, 28.7% were obese (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m(2)). Prevalence of obesity was higher among women (33.5% vs 24.1%). Among men, obesity was associated with marital status, diet, physical activity, diagnoses of diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. Among women, obesity was associated with marital status, education, history of chronic conditions, and hypertension.

Conclusion: Obesity remains strongly associated with diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension in the KSA, although the epidemic's characteristics differ between men and women.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Thirteen administrative health regions, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage change in distribution of body mass index (BMI) categories from 2005 through 2013, for men and women, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Categories are underweight (BMI <18.5), normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.9), overweight (BMI 25.0–29.9), obese (BMI 30.0−39.9), or morbidly obese (BMI ≥ 40). [Table: see text]
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage change in prevalence of obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30.0 kg/m2), by age group, for men and women, from 2005 through 2013, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [Table: see text]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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