Prevalence of Obesity among King Khalid University students in, 2020, Saudi Arabia

Background: Obesity frequency among adults is rising and has become a growing epidemic worldwide and is related to the high risk of obesity later in life. In last 30 years childhood obesity has more than tripled. Overweight in young ages is suggested to be related to many cardio-metabolic risks factors such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and dyslipidemia and 70% of obese adolescents have their first cardiovascular disease risk factor and 30% have their second or more. Aim: To estimate the prevalence and correlates of obesity among children in Aseer region. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in different colleges at King Khalid University, Abha Saudi Arabia during the period from September 2020 to December 2020. A total of nine colleges were included. After obtaining permission from the college authority, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to a total of 1,000 students, with explanations about the questionnaire by the principal investigator. Results: The study included 445 students who completed the study questionnaire. Students' ages ranged from 18 to 25 years old with mean age of 22.0 +/- 1.7 years. Exactly 313 (70.3%) were medical students and 271 (60.9%) were males. Exactly 214 (48.1%) students had normal weight while 119 (26.7%) had overweight, and 112 (25.2%) were obese (class 1 obesity (13.7%); class 2 obesity (6.7%), and class 3 obesity (4.7%)). About 65% of the students using the elevator during attending lectures had overweight / obesity in comparison to 39.9% of those who go up by stairs, with recorded statistical significance (P=.001). Conclusions: In conclusion, the study revealed that nearly half of the university students were overweight or obese with overweight more prevalent. Obesity was more recorded among male, older aged students who frequently had a family history of obesity. Improving the children's lifestyle and dietary habits is mandatory to work against weight gain.