Background/Objectives: The Saudi population has experienced significant transformations in their lifestyle which could be attributed to several factors. Aims: This work sought to determine effects of food habits and lifestyle on prevalence of overweight (OW)/obesity (OB) among schoolchildren in Taif City, KSA. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using well-designed questionnaire. Pretested questionnaire was randomly dis tributed among schoolchildren in Taif city. Body mass index and waist cir cumference were used as tools for assessing nutritional status of schoolchildren. Results: A total of 2027 students filled the questionnaire with a mean age of 15.83 ± 2.18 years. The prevalence of OW and OB was 14.6% and 12.9%, respectively, while the combined one was 27.5%. The combined prevalence of OW and OB was significantly higher among boys than girls (31.9 vs. 21.9) . Schoolchildren from high income families had high rate of OW and OB . Smoking, stress, TV viewing, daylight and night sleep had no effects on BMI, while only smoking of a family member and stress had considerable relation ship with W_C. Unfortunately, 52.2% of students admitted that they were physically inactive but this effect was insignificant for both indicators. Students skipped breakfasts constitute 18.8% of subjects included but link with BMI and W_C was statistically insignificant. Regular soft or diet drinks had significant effects on BMI. Results showed considerable link between con sumption of fruits/vegetables, grains and W_C. Conclusions: The prevalence of combined OW/OB among schoolchildren was 27.5%. Family income, participant’s gender, intake of regular soft or diet drinks had significant effects on BMI. While, stress, smoking of a family member, and uptake of fruits and vegetables showed considerable relationship with W_C.
KeywordsOverweightObesityBody Mass IndexWaist CircumferenceFood HabitsLifestyle
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