ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Recent studies show an increase in the incidence and prevalence of obesity worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of obesity, according to the latest studies, was estimated to be 24.7%. Rising rates of obesity are becoming a serious public health concern with well-documented physical and mental health consequences. Our study aims to measure the effect and the relationship between obesity and mental health status and to assess the impact on the quality of life in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data collection involved an electronic questionnaire encompassing patient demographics, their perspectives on obesity and its impact on mental health, as well as screening for common mental health disorders using GAD-2 and PHQ-9. Subsequently, the data were coded, entered, and analyzed utilizing both descriptive and inferential statistical methods, with the assistance of IBM Corp. Released 2015. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. RESULTS: A total of 480 adult Saudi participants were included in the current study. Most of them were males (61.5%) in the age group of 18 to 40 years (77.3%). 13.1% of the participants had a first-degree family history of psychiatric illness, and 10.6% had a previous medical history of psychiatric illness. 86% of the participants think that obesity has a negative effect on the quality of life and mental health, and 98.1% believe that losing weight and treating obesity will play a role in improving the quality of life and mental health in general. Regarding the prevalence of mental health issues according to the PHQ-2 score, 151 (31.5%) of the participants were positive, out of whom 47 (31.1%) had mild depression, and 147 (30.5%) of the participants were positive using the GAD-2, out of whom 41 (27.9%) had mild anxiety, and the same percentage had moderate anxiety. There was a significant association between BMI and a previous history of psychiatric illness among females (P = 0.044). CONCLUSION: Obesity and a higher BMI were found to be associated with a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety among the study participants. About one-third of the total participants had depression, and another one-third had an anxiety disorder.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Urinary tract stones are a common public health problem worldwide. In addition, identifying the composition of stones is important for the further metabolic evaluation of patients. We conducted this study to further correlate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and different compositions of urinary tract stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 433 patients who underwent urinary tract stone analysis via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh from May 2015 to June 2017 was performed. Their BMI at the time of stone analysis was recorded. RESULTS: A total of 433 stones were analyzed by the statistical data analysis software. The BMI was classified according to the WHO classification. We divided our patients into seven age groups. Most patients were between the age group of 35 and 44 years and were overweight. The incidence of calcium oxalate, carbonate apatite, and uric acid stones was higher in patients with a BMI above thirty than in patients with a lower BMI. However, cystine stones were more common in normal-weight patients. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that the incidence of certain types of stones, such as calcium oxalate, cystine, and uric acid stones, in Saudi Arabia can be predicted by BMI measurement.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To create a food frequency questionnaire specifically designed to capture the dietary habits of Saudis and test its validity and reliability. Methods: This investigation is a longitudinal, test-retest study conducted in King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between December 2015 and March 2016. A list of 140 food items was included in the questionnaire where a closed-ended and open-ended approach was used. Regarding past year food frequency consumption and 24 hours dietary recall, body weight and height were collected. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, completeness of the food list, and criterion validity were assessed. Results: One-hundred and thirty eight participants were interviewed to complete the 24 hours dietary recall and the constructed questionnaire. Approximately 85% of the food items reported in the dietary recall were covered in the food frequency questionnaire. The association of body mass index with meats (regression coefficients: 2.28) and dairy products consumption frequency was statistically significant (regression coefficients: 2.31). A high overall reproducibility rate of the questionnaire was detected (Pearsons' correlation coefficient: 0.78 p less than 0.001). Conclusion: The developed questionnaire has a high reliability and reasonable validity, and suitable for use in nutritional epidemiological investigations in Saudi Arabia.
