Lifestyle Habits in Relation to Overweight and Obesity among Saudi Women Attending Health Science Colleges

• Published in: Journal of epidemiology and global health 2018-12, Vol.8 (1-2), p.13-19
• Main Authors: Alhakbany, Manan A., Alzamil, Hana A., Alabdullatif, Wajude A., Aldekhyyel, Shahad N., Alsuhaibani, Munirah N., Al-Hazzaa, Hazzaa M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Body mass index; Body weight; Chocolate; Dietary habits; Education; Energy expenditure; Exercise; Females; Lifestyles; Obesity; Original; Original Article; Overweight; Physical activity; Saudi females; Sedentary behavior; sedentary behaviors; Sleep
• ISSN: 2210-6006; 2210-6014; 2210-6006
• DOI: 10.2991/j.jegh.2018.09.100

The study examined the associations between lifestyle habits and overweight/obesity among Saudi females attending health science colleges. A total of 454 female students were randomly recruited from five health science colleges at King Saud University, using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. Body weight and height were measured, and body mass index was calculated. All participants answered a validated questionnaire to assess physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviors (SB), sleep duration, and dietary habits. Results showed that the prevalence of overweight (21.4%) plus obesity (8.1%) among female participants was 29.5%. There was no significant difference between overweight/obese and nonoverweight/nonobese females in PA, screen time, sleep duration, or dietary habits. Overall, 50.4% of the participants were physically inactive (activity energy expenditure was 8 hours per night) ( p < 0.001). It was concluded that half of the Saudi females in this study were physically inactive. Although PA positively impacted some of the lifestyle habits of college females, overweight/obesity was not associated with PA, SB, sleeping time, or dietary habits among the participants. Future research should attempt to elucidate the key factors involved in such relationship.