Overweight and Obesity among university students, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among King Saud university students, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Design: Cross sectional survey. Setting: The study was conducted in a male university primary health care clinic, at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the period from 23 April to 7 June 2006. Subjects: Male University students from different colleges who attend the university primary care clinic were included in the study. Weight and Height were recorded, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each student, using the equation (weight in kg/height in meter2). WHO classification was used for defining overweight (BMI 2529.9 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI = 30 kg/m2) categories. The statistical analysis was carried out using the statistical software for social science version 11.5. Results: There were 701 university students in the study, with mean age = 21.7 years. The present study showed that 31% of the study sample from King Saud university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were overweight i.e. their body mass index (BMI) was 25-<30 kg/m2, and 23.3% of the university students were obese i.e. their body mass index (BMI) was more than or equal to 30 kg/m2, while only 45.8% of the university students had normal body weight i.e. their body mass index Conclusion: Improving University student's awareness about overweight and obesity health problems is an essential step towards decreasing the prevalence of overweight and obesity among university students and in the community.