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

• Main Authors: Manan A. Alhakbany (Author), Hana A. Alzamil (Author), Wajude A. Alabdullatif (Author), Shahad N. Aldekhyyel (Author), Munirah N. Alsuhaibani (Author), Hazzaa M. Al-Hazzaa (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Springer, 2018-12-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.2991/j.jegh.2018.09.100; 125905558; 2210-6006
• Keywords: Dietary habits; obesity; physical activity; Saudi females; sedentary behaviors; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, Vol 8, Iss 1 (2018)

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 <600 metabolic equivalent minutes per week). Active females showed significantly (p < 0.01) higher intakes of vegetables and fruits, lower chocolate/candy consumption (p = 0.05), and higher proportion of sufficient sleeping duration (>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.