Prevalence of Obesity and its Relation with Eating Habits and Lifestyle among Male Primary Schoolchildren in Al-Madinah City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract
Objective: To investigate lifestyle and dietary habits associated with development of obesity among male primary school children in Al-Madinah City, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Al-Madinah City that included 201 male primary school students aged above 8 years. The researcher used a study questionnaire that comprised socio-demographic variables and the HABITS questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were also re-corded to calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI).
Results: The mean age of participants (SD) was 11.22 (±1.1) years. Prevalence of obesity among participants was 19.4%, 59.7% of male primary schoolchildren ate three meals daily. Only 16.9% ate fruits daily, 17.9% ate vegetables daily, while 88.1% ate snacks between meals and 20.4% consumed soft and energy drinks once daily, while 10.4% consumed soft and energy drinks twice or several times daily. One third of male primary schoolchildren watched TV for 3 hours or more, while during weekends, 66.2% watched TV for 3 hours or more. Regarding outdoor activity, 29.9% practiced it once a day, while 18.9% practiced it more than once a day.
Consumption of soft and energy drinks was significantly higher among obese participants than non-obese ones (p= 0.035), and outdoor activity was significantly higher among non-obese participants than obese ones (p=0.027).
Conclusions: Bad nutritional habits are common among male primary schoolchildren. Prevalence of obesity among male primary school children is high and increases with their age. Consumption of soft and energy drinks and lack of physical activity are associated with obesity among children. Therefore, there is a pressing need for the development of effective obesity prevention programs for schoolchildren.