Abstract
The rate of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has increased worldwide and is a significant public health concern. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has experienced a large increase in obesity prevalence over the past three decades. The World Health Organization reported that the prevalence of obesity has increased from 14.3% in 2010 to 17.4% in 2016 among children aged 5–19 years in the KSA. Childhood obesity is linked to adult morbidity and obesity, which is associated with several adverse health, social, and economical outcomes. This chapter reviews the published data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents in the KSA, along with the potential health impacts and associated lifestyle factors. Overall, the prevalence of childhood obesity in the KSA continues to increase. It varies by sex, region, and definition criteria. Childhood obesity in the KSA is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and might be associated with psychological and social outcomes. Research is needed to study society-specific risk factors of obesity in more depth to inform targeted, effective interventions. Additionally, health programs need to be endorsed in schools and beyond schooling for the prevention and management of childhood obesity in the region.
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Abbreviations
- BMI:
-
body mass index
- CDC:
-
US Centers for Disease Control
- HDL-C:
-
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
- HOMA-IR:
-
homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance
- IOTF:
-
International Obesity Task Force
- KSA:
-
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- LDL-C:
-
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
- TG:
-
triglyceride
- US:
-
United States
- WHO:
-
World Health Organization
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Aljaadi, A.M., Alharbi, M. (2020). Overweight and Obesity Among Saudi Children: Prevalence, Lifestyle Factors, and Health Impacts. In: Laher, I. (eds) Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_187-1
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