OBESITY IN A PRIMARY HEALTH-CARE CENTER - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

In a retrospective study, the heights and weights of 1072 Saudis (477 men and 595 women), aged 18 to 74 years, were studied to determine the prevalence of obesity in Saudi patients attending the primary health care centre of King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Of the total group, 51.5% (95% confidence interval, 46.5 to 56.0) of the men and 65.4% (95% confidence interval, 61.5 to 69.2) of the women were considered obese, using as the criterion a body mass index (wt/ht2) of greater than 25 kg/m2. Significantly more women were obese than men. An active detection program and campaign against obesity must be mounted in the community, and this should include advice on diet and the better education of patients with regard to obesity and its complications.