Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Latest
    • Archive
    • home
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
    • Join SMJ
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Office
    • Editorial Board
  • More
    • Advertising
    • Alerts
    • Feedback
    • Folders
    • Help
  • Other Publications
    • NeuroSciences Journal

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • Log out

Search

  • Advanced search
Saudi Medical Journal
  • Other Publications
    • NeuroSciences Journal
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • Log out
Saudi Medical Journal

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Latest
    • Archive
    • home
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
    • Join SMJ
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Office
    • Editorial Board
  • More
    • Advertising
    • Alerts
    • Feedback
    • Folders
    • Help
  • Follow psmmc on Twitter
  • Visit psmmc on Facebook
  • RSS
Research ArticleOriginal Article
Open Access

Obesity in Saudi Arabia

Mansour M. Al-Nozha, Yaqoub Y. Al-Mazrou, Mohammed A. Al-Maatouq, Mohammed R. Arafah, Mohamed Z. Khalil, Nazeer B. Khan, Khalid Al-Marzouki, Moheeb A. Abdullah, Akram H. Al-Khadra, Saad S. Al-Harthi, Maie S. Al-Shahid, Abdulellah Al-Mobeireek and Mohmmed S. Nouh
Saudi Medical Journal May 2005, 26 (5) 824-829;
Mansour M. Al-Nozha
President, Taibah University, PO Box 344, Madina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel. +966 (4) 8472083. Fax. +966 (4) 8454771. E-mail: [email protected]
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Yaqoub Y. Al-Mazrou
Department of Preventive Medicine, King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Mohammed A. Al-Maatouq
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Mohammed R. Arafah
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Mohamed Z. Khalil
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Nazeer B. Khan
Ministry of Health, Department of Preventive Dental Medicine, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Khalid Al-Marzouki
Department of Medicine, King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Moheeb A. Abdullah
Department of Adult Cardiology, Prince Sultan Cardiac Centre, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Akram H. Al-Khadra
Department of Medicine, King Faisal University, Dammam, Kingdom of Sadusi Arabia.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Saad S. Al-Harthi
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Maie S. Al-Shahid
Department of Cardiovascular, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Abdulellah Al-Mobeireek
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Mohmmed S. Nouh
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Obesity and overweight are well known risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), and are expected to be increasing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) particularly among females. Therefore, we designed this study with the objective to determine the prevalence of obesity and overweight among Saudis of both gender, between the ages of 30-70 years in rural as well as in urban communities. This work is part of a major national project called Coronary Artery Disease in Saudis Study (CADISS) that is designed to look at CAD and its risk factors in Saudi population.

METHODS: This study is a community-based national epidemiological health survey, conducted by examining Saudi subjects in the age group of 30-70 years of selected households over a 5-year period between 1995 and 2000 in KSA. Data were obtained from body mass index (BMI) and were analyzed to classify individuals with overweight (BMI = 25-29.9 kg/m2), obesity (BMI >=30 kg/m2) and severe (gross) obesity (BMI >=40 kg/m2) to provide the prevalence of overweight and obesity in KSA.

RESULTS: Data were obtained by examining 17,232 Saudi subjects from selected households who participated in the study. The prevalence of overweight was 36.9%. Overweight is significantly more prevalent in males (42.4%) compared to 31.8% of females (p<0.0001). The age-adjusted prevalence of obesity was 35.5% in KSA with an overall prevalence of 35.6% [95% CI: 34.9-36.3], while severe (gross) obesity was 3.2%. Females are significantly more obese with a prevalence of 44% than males 26.4% (p<0.0001).

CONCLUSION: Obesity and overweight are increasing in KSA with an overall obesity prevalence of 35.5%. Reduction in overweight and obesity are of considerable importance to public health. Therefore, we recommend a national obesity prevention program at community level to be implemented sooner to promote leaner and consequently healthier community.

  • Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Saudi Medical Journal: 26 (5)
Saudi Medical Journal
Vol. 26, Issue 5
1 May 2005
  • Table of Contents
  • Cover (PDF)
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Saudi Medical Journal.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Obesity in Saudi Arabia
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Saudi Medical Journal
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Saudi Medical Journal web site.
Citation Tools
Obesity in Saudi Arabia
Mansour M. Al-Nozha, Yaqoub Y. Al-Mazrou, Mohammed A. Al-Maatouq, Mohammed R. Arafah, Mohamed Z. Khalil, Nazeer B. Khan, Khalid Al-Marzouki, Moheeb A. Abdullah, Akram H. Al-Khadra, Saad S. Al-Harthi, Maie S. Al-Shahid, Abdulellah Al-Mobeireek, Mohmmed S. Nouh
Saudi Medical Journal May 2005, 26 (5) 824-829;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Obesity in Saudi Arabia
Mansour M. Al-Nozha, Yaqoub Y. Al-Mazrou, Mohammed A. Al-Maatouq, Mohammed R. Arafah, Mohamed Z. Khalil, Nazeer B. Khan, Khalid Al-Marzouki, Moheeb A. Abdullah, Akram H. Al-Khadra, Saad S. Al-Harthi, Maie S. Al-Shahid, Abdulellah Al-Mobeireek, Mohmmed S. Nouh
Saudi Medical Journal May 2005, 26 (5) 824-829;
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • eLetters
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Clinical profiles and outcomes of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in young adults in a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Identifying individuals at risk of post-stroke depression
  • Hematological parameters in recent and past dengue infections in Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia
  • Longitudinal analysis of foodborne disease outbreaks in Saudi Arabia
Show more Original Article

Similar Articles

CONTENT

  • home

JOURNAL

  • home

AUTHORS

  • home
Saudi Medical Journal

© 2025 Saudi Medical Journal Saudi Medical Journal is copyright under the Berne Convention and the International Copyright Convention.  Saudi Medical Journal is an Open Access journal and articles published are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC). Readers may copy, distribute, and display the work for non-commercial purposes with the proper citation of the original work. Electronic ISSN 1658-3175. Print ISSN 0379-5284.

Powered by HighWire