bioequivalence And bioavailability international journal

A Review on: Prevalence of “OBESITY” in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Special Reference to Tabuk Region

Farhina Pasha*

Department of Biology, University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Submission: September 09, 2017; Published: September 22, 2017

*Corresponding author: Farhina Pasha, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia, Email: fbasha@ut.edu.sa

How to cite this article: Farhina P. A Review on: Prevalence of �OBESITY� in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Special Reference to Tabuk Region. Mod Appl Bioequiv Availab. 2017; 2(2): 555583 DOI: 10.19080/MABB.2017.02.555583

Mini Review

KSA is ranked 3^rd in the world obesity ranking according to Arab news. It is reported that approximately 72.4% of Saudis over the age of 40 suffer from obesity and 35.6% in Saudi society, of whom 44% are women and 26.4% of men, are obese. The rate of obesity among Saudi children is about 18% and is dangerously showing an increasing trend [1]. Therefore Obesity in Saudi Arabia is a growing health concern with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in Saudi Arabia. As per Forbes, Saudi Arabia ranks 29^th 2007 list of the fattest countries [2]. Obesity which is expressed as fat accumulation that presents a health risk, is measured as BMI (Body Mass Index) which is obtained by dividing persons weight in kilogram by his height in meters [3]. Compounding the problem, according to a presentation at the 3^rd International Obesity Conference in February 2014, is that obesity related surgeries are not covered under Saudi healthcare [4]. Many nutritionists have issued warnings about the spread of the prevalence of obesity in the Kingdom. Obesity has been discussed in the framework of the problems that increase the incidence of serious diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes that raise the proportion of deaths.

Considering the epidemic phase of Obesity an evaluation was undertaken for epidemiological observational study in Tabuk region, where 360 Saudi nationals were randomly selected to know their Knowledge, Practice and Attitude towards obesity in Tabuk region of Saudi Arabia with the help of a questioner Observational study survey establish 42% of the people had Knowledge about the disease where as 58% are not aware about Obesity and its related causes & risks, only 39% had an awareness Attitude towards the spread of disease, where as 61% were not aware, 35% were aware about the preventive measures and tentative cure for the disease and Practice healthy living whereas almost 65% had neither practice nor attitude towards the prevailing risks. (Figure 1)

Taking the above data in account it is concluded that knowledge amongst people related to Obesity is present but there is lack of attitude and practice towards its prevention leading to its outburst. The usual causes of Obesity like overeating, hormonal changes and Genetic reasons are replaced by unhealthy eating trends, late night eating and laidback life style. Therefore it is recommended to undertake large- scale collaborative epidemiologic studies which may reveal differentiating factors in disease onset, severity, and prevalence so that people realize the need of adopting healthy living habits.