Lifestyle habits and obesity indices among male adolescents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Obesity among adolescents is a global health apprehension which requires early prevention. The aim of this study was to determine the association between lifestyle habits including physical activity, sedentary behaviors and eating habits with obesity indices of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) among male adolescents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We randomly selected 471 secondary school male adolescents aged 14-18 years. A pre-validated self-reported questionnaire was used to record the data on physical activity level, sedentary behaviors, sleep duration and eating habits. The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cutoff values for adolescents under 18 years of age were used to define overweight and obesity. Total energy expenditure was calculated using metabolic equivalent-minutes per week. Anthropometry including weight, height, BMI, waist circumference, waist/height ratio (WHtR), were assessed. 53.7% and 48.4% of the adolescents were overweight/obese and had abdominal obesity; respectively. Those with overweight and obesity or above 50% of WHtR were much less active in terms of METs-min/week from vigorous-intensity sports, sum of all METs-min/week from all vigorous-intensity physical activity, total METs-min/week from all physical activity compared with non-obese adolescents and below 50% of WHtR. The present study identified the lifestyle habits that were associated with obesity and may represent valid targets for the prevention and management of obesity among Saudi adolescents. Knowledge of the factors that contribute to obesity could be used in preventive programs for the control of obesity among adolescents.

Stress and coping among consultant physicians working in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to stressful working conditions without adequate stress-coping strategies may lead to stress and even psychiatric morbidity. There are a dearth of studies on stress-coping strategies among consultant physicians in the Arabian Gulf. OBJECTIVES: Determine stress-coping strategies among consultants in Saudi Arabia and the relationship of strategies to level of stress. DESIGN: Analytical cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: Conducted between November 2014 and March 2015 among physician consultants registered at the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Text messages were used to directly ask consultants to complete an online questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The 28-item Brief COPE inventory and the Perceived Stress Scale. SAMPLE SIZE: 582. RESULTS: The consultants were largely males (71%) and Saudi (56%), and their mean age was 46.9 (7.9) years. Adaptive stress-coping strategies were more frequently used than maladaptive stress-coping strategies (68% versus 49%). Stress levels were positively correlated with maladaptive stress-coping strategies (r=0.41, P less than .001) and negatively correlated with adaptive stress-coping strategies (r=-0.09, P=.026). Religion was the most frequently reported stress-coping strategy (79.6%) while alcohol drinking or substance use was the least frequently reported stress-coping strategy (28.0%). Females used both adaptive and maladaptive stress-coping strategies more than males (P=.002 and P less than .001, respectively). Stress management education/training was positively associated with frequent use of adaptive stress-coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Physician consultants generally cope well with work stressors. Nevertheless, there is still a critical need for stress management programs targeting consultants in order to further improve coping strategies. LIMITATIONS: The low response rate may negatively impact the validity and the generalizability of the current findings. The cross-sectional study design precluded the finding of any causal association. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.