Obesity: an emerging problem in Saudi Arabia. Analysis of data from the National Nutrition Survey

To document the prevalence of obesity in Saudi Arabia, we used data from a study on 19 598 individuals in 2837 households. Body mass index, skinfold thickness cross-sectional and mid- arm circumference were measured. Prevalence of obesity ranged from 33.9% in Ha'il to 11.7% in Jizan. More women than men were obese, 23.6% compared to 14.2%. Prevalence of overweight was 30.7% for males and 28.4% for females. Obesity was present in all age groups. It is clear that changes must be made to the lifestyle of the Saudi population in order to reduce the prevalence of obesity

Risk factors of coronary artery disease in different regions of Saudi Arabia

A national nutrition survey was carried out in Saudi Arabia between 1989 and 1994. One objective was to investigate the prevalence of well established atherogenic risk factors among adults 18 years and older, namely obesity, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, diabetes mellitus and high systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Obesity prevalence was positively correlated with all five coronary artery disease risk factors investigated. Variation among regions in relation to the prevalence of these risk factors was observed. Saudi Arabia's ecology has resulted in variation in the lifestyle and food consumption patterns of the people of the different regions, which might be a major underlying cause of the variation and high prevalence of coronary artery disease risk factors