Abstract
Background: In recent decades obesity has emerged as a serious health issue among adolescents in developed and developing countries.Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate relationship between Socio-economic Status (SES) and obesity among adolescents in both urban and rural areas of Saudi.Methodology: Cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 using a multistage randomization method. It surveyed 1139 adolescents, 447 from rural areas and 692 from urban districts of Riyadh region in Saudi Arabia.Results: Male adolescents living in households which had a domestic driver were at a significantly higher risk of being obese in both the urban (p= 0.02) and rural areas (p< 0.001). Urban females living in a medium-income household are at the risks of overweight (p= 0.02) and obesity (P< 0.01). The risk of obesity was almost 11-times higher for females living in households which had a driver (p= 0.01). Owning a computer was associated with an increased risk of overweight among urban adolescent females (p= 0.01).Conclusion: Overweight and obesity now represent a national health crisis threatening adolescents in particular. An immediate action is indeed important to fight against this serious health issue among this age group.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Obesity and Weight Loss Therapy |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 241 |
| Publication status | Published or Issued - Dec 2014 |