Rising incidence of obesity in Saudi residents. A threatening challenge for the surgeons.

Objective: Obesity is thought to correlate very strongly with individuals general lifestyles. This study was conducted to determine whether lifestyle patterns were potential risk factors for morbid obesity in Saudi residents.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Unaizah City, Qassim Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, over a 1-year period from March 2013 to March 2014. The study included 646 residents from the general public of Unaizah who were selected by convenient sampling at a mall and a public sector university, regardless of age and gender, and were given questionnaires regarding the details of their lifestyle patterns. The studied variables included demographic details, dietary habits, physical activity, occupation, body mass index, and unhealthy behavioral habits. The data were collected and statistically analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results: The study population had a mean age of 30.13 ± 12.15 years and comprised 202 (31.3%) male and 444 (68.7%) female subjects. The study subjects were students (39.2%), general public included employed (35.3%), unemployed (23.8%), and others (1.7%). Overall, 79.4% comprised Saudi nationals and the majority (48.3%) had a university-level education. A reasonably high proportion of Saudi subjects were found to have sedentary habits and with physical activity levels far below the standard. Obesity was found in 42% of the study population with low physical activity levels and unhealthy dietary habits. Varying proportions of concomitant hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hypercholesterolemia were also observed in these subjects.

Conclusion: Sedentary habits, low physical activity levels in younger populations, and unhealthy dietary habits are major factors causing obesity in the general public as well as in children and adolescents attending school and university. Serious insight into this problem at the governmental level is needed to improve the overall activity level and avoidance of a sedentary lifestyle by projecting the importance of a healthy lifestyle.