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Correlates and Levels of Physical Activity and Body Mass Index Among Saudi Men Working in Office-Based Jobs

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Abstract

Obesity and overweight are global public health concerns with major consequences. Physical inactivity has been repeatedly linked with a high Body Mass Index (BMI) and the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases. In Saudi Arabia, approximately 60% of the entire population is considered physically inactive. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlates and burden of physical inactivity and high BMI among male office workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 395 adult Saudi males between the ages of 18 and 60 years working in governmental offices in AL Madinah. The self-administered instrument collected information regarding demographic characteristics and lifestyle practices. BMI was calculated from measured height and weight. Descriptive statistics were calculated and the probabilities of being overweight/obese and physically inactive were estimated using logistic regression. Approximately two-thirds of the participating men were overweight or obese and in the low category of physical activity. Being 35 years old or above, having a least one morbidity, and not eating a healthy diet, were all factors independently associated with low level of physical activity and high BMI. Being married was also associated with High BMI in this population. This study identified Saudi males working in office-based jobs as a high-risk group for being overweight, obese, and physically inactive. The detected risk factors are modifiable and require interventions addressing the intrapersonal and the environmental factors most likely to mitigate or ameliorate the consequences of this destructive lifestyle.

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Abbreviations

95% CI:

95% confidence interval

OR:

Odds ratio

SD:

Standard deviation

WHO:

World Health Organization

IPAQ:

International Physical Activity Questionnaire

GPAQ:

Global Physical Activity Questionnaire

NCDs:

Non Communicable Diseases

SR:

Saudi Riyal

USD:

United States Dollars

BMI:

Body Mass Index

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the administration of the governmental offices and employees who participated and provided assistance in this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Yasir Almuzaini & Hoda Jradi

  2. King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Hoda Jradi

Authors
  1. Yasir Almuzaini
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  2. Hoda Jradi
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Contributions

HJ conceived the project idea. YA and HJ designed the study and approved the methodology. YA participated in the data collection. YA and HJ managed the study data. HJ conducted the formal data analysis. All authors contributed extensively towards the preparation of this manuscript and approved the version submitted to the journal. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hoda Jradi.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethics Approval

Ethics approval for this study was provided by the institutional review board (IRB) at King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) in Riyadh (approval number sp18/069). Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

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Almuzaini, Y., Jradi, H. Correlates and Levels of Physical Activity and Body Mass Index Among Saudi Men Working in Office-Based Jobs. J Community Health 44, 815–821 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-019-00639-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-019-00639-4

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