PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Aljohrah Aldubikhi
TI  - Obesity management in the Saudi population
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2023.44.8.20220724
DP  - 2023 Aug 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 725--731
VI  - 44
IP  - 8
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/44/8/725.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/44/8/725.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2023 Aug 01; 44
AB  - Obesity is an alarming public health concern and needs to be addressed promptly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sedentary lifestyle, changes in dietary intake and choice, culture, gender, climatic conditions and, lately, COVID-19 have contributed to obesity as a near epidemic in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Interventions targeting obesity includes lifestyle management, pharmacotherapy, and surgery. Lifestyle interventions qualify as first-line therapies. Diets include a low-fat diet, low-calorie diet, low-carbohydrate diet, high-protein diet, and low-glycemic-index diet. Diet and exercise interventions can have a huge impact on weight loss. Pharmacotherapy is considered a treatment option at a later stage. Surgery is only for severely obese individuals. Above all, the government has to intervene and implement regulations and policies that can curb the incidence of obesity. This review aims to address obesity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, interventions to curb it, and the impact of COVID-19 on obesity.