Saudi Adults’ Understanding and Views of Weight Management Practices and Obesity

Figures & data

Table 1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of the Participants (N = 1066)

Variables	Frequency (n)	Percentage (%)
Gender Male Female	594 472	55.7 44.3
Age 18–24 25–33 34–51 52–64 >64	402 349 227 64 24	37.7 32.7 21.3 6.0 2.3
Nationality Saudi Non-Saudi	1047 19	98.2 1.8
Employment status Employed Unemployed Businessman Housewife Students Retired	315 119 134 147 288 63	29.5 11.2 12.6 13.8 27.0 5.9
Monthly income (SAR) Excellent (>15k SAR) Good (10–15k SAR) Average (>8k SAR) Poor (>5k SAR)	137 308 327 294	12.9 28.9 30.7 27.5
Qualification levels Primary/intermediate school High school University	67 414 585	6.3 38.8 54.9
Region of Saudi Arabia Central Region Eastern Region Western Region Southern Region Northern Region	238 142 207 235 244	22.3 13.3 19.4 22.1 22.9
Are you physically active (doing any intensive activity like walking /cycling or bodybuilding)? Yes No	824 242	77.3 22.7
Presence of chronic disease Yes No	234 832	22.0 78.0
Have you undergone any weight loss surgery? Yes No I am not obese or overweight	118 363 585	11.1 34.1 54.8
BMI (Body mass index) Underweight (<18.5) Normal weight (18.5–24.9) Overweight (25–29.9) Obese (BMI of 30 or greater)	289 531 203 43	27.1 49.8 19.1 4.0

Table 2 Understanding Assessment of Obesity Among Saudi Adults

Variables	Frequency (n)	Percentage (%)
Do you know about obesity? Yes No I do not know	591 275 200	55.4 25.8 18.8
Eating a diet rich in carbohydrates, fats, and sugars can contribute to obesity. Yes No I do not know	628 235 203	58.9 22.0 19.0
Consistent stress is a risk factor that contributes to obesity. Yes No I do not know	568 244 254	53.3 22.9 23.8
Maintaining good physical activity and a healthy diet will manage obesity. Yes No I do not know	625 212 229	58.6 19.9 21.5
Smoking is a risk factor that contributes to obesity complications. Yes No I do not know	536 236 294	50.3 22.1 27.6
There are SFDA and USFDA-approved anti-obesity medications that could enhance weight loss along with exercise and a healthy diet. Yes No I do not know	549 229 288	51.5 21.5 27.0

Figure 1 Understanding of Vital Organs Affected by Obesity.

Table 3 Participants’ Awareness of Obesity Treatments and Drug Products

Variables	Frequency (n)	Percentage (%)
Are you aware of the surgeries for obesity? Yes No I do not know	584 273 209	54.8 25.6 19.6
Are you aware of the use of lipid suction and sleeve gastrectomy to lower the fat associated with obesity? Yes No I do not know	617 252 197	57.9 23.6 18.5
Are you aware of the products that can be used for weight reduction? Yes No	712 354	66.8 33.2
Do you think using weight reduction agents could cause side effects? Yes No	777 289	72.9 27.1

Figure 2 Understanding of Complications Associated With Obesity.

Table 4 Views Assessment of the Participants Toward Obesity

Questionnaire item	Strongly Agree n (%)	Agree n (%)	Neutral n (%)	Strongly Disagree n (%)	Disagree n (%)
1) Healthy individuals can consume healthy and unhealthy diets.	399 (37.4)	151 (14.2)	214 (20.1)	51 (4.8)	251 (23.5)
2) You can stop maintaining good physical activity once a normal BMI is reached.	410 (38.5)	121 (11.4)	187 (17.5)	103 (9.7)	245 (23.0)
3) Individuals with obesity should know more about obesity self-care management to reduce the risk of obesity complications.	113 (10.6)	206 (19.3)	240 (22.5)	401 (37.6)	106 (9.9)
4) Anti-obesity medications are not safe and are not as effective for obesity management as performing exercises and following a healthy diet.	539 (50.6)	193 (18.1)	237 (22.2)	26 (2.4)	71 (6.7)
5) You can stop consuming a healthy diet once a normal weight is reached.	433 (40.6)	149 (14)	227 (21.3)	99 (9.3)	158 (14.8)
6) I think weight loss surgery is effective.	77 (7.2)	190 (17.8)	282 (26.5)	407 (38.2)	110 (10.3)
7) I think dietary supplements are effective.	107 (10)	211 (19.8)	274 (25.7)	374 (35.1)	100 (9.4)
8) I feel exercise training is effective.	620 (58.2)	113 (10.6)	210 (19.7)	41 (3.8)	82 (7.7)
9) In my opinion, medications are effective.	70 (6.6)	182 (17.1)	309 (29)	402 (37.7)	103 (9.7)
10) Counseling by dieticians is effective.	597 (56)	151 (14.2)	213 (20)	29 (2.7)	76 (7.1)

Figure 3 Commonly Used Weight Reduction Products.

Table 5 Respondents’ Weight Management Practices

Variables	Yes n (%)	No n (%)	I Do Not Know n (%)
Do you drink too many caffeinated drinks, including tea and coffee (more than 4 cups a day)?	393 (36.9)	471 (44.2)	202 (18.9)
Do you follow a current physical exercise regimen to manage obesity?	355 (33.3)	506 (47.5)	205 (19.2)
Do you smoke or use any tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes?	246 (23.1)	590 (55.3)	230 (21.6)
Do you consume a lot of unhealthy fast food enriched with carbohydrates and fats (more than 5 meals a week)?	375 (35.2)	454 (42.6)	237 (22.2)
Have you adopted a healthy lifestyle to manage or overcome becoming obese?	361 (33.9)	464 (43.5)	241 (22.6)
Do you take any FDA-approved anti-obesity medications for obesity management?	242 (22.7)	607 (56.9)	217 (20.4)

Table 6 Association Between Obesity Understanding Score and Characteristics of the Participants

Participants’ Characteristics	Mean	S.D	F-value	t-value	p-value
Gender Male Female	3.015 3.614	2.42 2.28		9.53	0.0020
Age 18–24 25–33 34–51 52–64 >64	2.65 3.53 3.79 3.75 4.00	2.47 2.37 2.14 1.79 2.08	12.161		0.0001
Employment status Employed Unemployed Businessman Housewife Student Retired	3.81 3.37 3.60 3.72 2.14 3.92	2.24 2.25 2.25 2.08 2.43 2.15	20.510		0.0001
Monthly income (SAR) Excellent (>15k SAR) Good (10–15k SAR) Average (>8k SAR) Poor (>5k SAR)	3.39 3.46 2.92 3.42	2.18 2.20 2.54 2.41	3.469		0.0160
Qualification levels Primary/intermediate school High school University	3.44 2.51 3.80	1.70 2.43 2.26	38.510		0.0001
Region of Saudi Arabia Central Region Eastern Region Western regions Southern region Northern region	3.19 3.36 3.88 2.94 3.12	2.40 2.51 2.11 2.39 2.38	4.936		0.0001
Are you physically active? Yes No	3.10 3.86	2.48 1.86		107.18	0.0001
BM (Body mass index) Underweight (<18.5) Normal weight (18.5–24.9) Overweight (25–29.9) Obese (BMI of 30 or greater)	2.20 3.50 4.04 4.09	2.39 2.32 2.04 1.86	32.910	----	<0.0001

Table 7 Association Between View Score and Demographic Characteristics

Participants’ Characteristics	Mean	S.D	F-value	t-value	p-value
Gender Male Female	27.71 28.55	8.59 9.02		−1.563	0.6120
Age 18–24 25–33 34–51 52–64 >64	28.50 26.58 28.60 31.39 29.29	7.66 9.57 9.11 8.55 9.13	5.423		0.0001
Employment status Employed Unemployed Businessman Housewife Students Retired	26.23 29.09 27.24 29.40 29.38 28.23	9.17 8.82 9.40 9.59 7.13 8.88	5.388		0.0001
Monthly income (SAR)? Excellent (>15k SAR) Good (between 10–15k SAR) Average (>8k SAR) Poor (>5k SAR)	28.70 26.73 27.18 30.21	7.18 9.54 8.69 8.38	9.789		0.0001
Qualification levels Primary/intermediate school High school University	28.11 28.22 27.98	7.19 8.38 9.24	0.096		0.909
The region of Saudi Arabia Central Region Eastern Region Western regions Southern region Northern region	26.18 28.87 27.63 29.99 28.03	8.89 8.48 9.06 8.81 8.25	6.060		0.0001
Are you physically active (doing any intensive activity like walking /cycling or bodybuilding)? Yes No	26.49 33.49	8.85 6.01		155.40	0.0001
BM (Body mass index) Underweight (<18.5) Normal weight (18.5–24.9) Overweight (25–29.9) Obese (BMI of 30 or greater)	30.26 26.74 27.88 31.02	6.52 9.59 8.88 7.98	12.020	----	<0.0001

Figure 4 Levels of Understanding and Views Toward Overweight and Obesity.

Figure 5 Understanding of Obesity According to Gender.

Figure 6 Understanding of Obesity According to Income.

Figure 7 Views of Obesity According to Gender.

Figure 8 Views of Obesity According to Monthly Income.

Table 8 Multiple Linear Regression Model for Predictors of Understanding of Obesity

Variables	Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	95% CI for B		Sig
	B	Std. Error (SE)			Lower Bound	Upper Bound
(Constant)	1.222	0.156		7.854	0.917	1.528	<0.001
Gender	0.031	0.028	0.034	1.115	−0.023	0.085	0.265
Age (years)	0.019	0.015	0.040	1.243	−0.011	0.048	0.214
Nationality	−0.030	0.101	−0.009	−0.301	−0.229	0.168	0.763
Monthly income (SAR)	−0.001	0.011	−0.002	−0.050	−0.023	0.022	0.960
Qualification	−0.054	0.015	−0.117	−3.625	−0.084	−0.025	<0.001
Region	0.009	0.010	0.028	0.916	−0.010	0.028	0.360
Employment status	0.017	0.009	0.062	1.889	−0.001	0.034	0.059
Physical activity status	0.069	0.033	0.065	2.075	0.004	0.134	0.038
Presence of chronic disease	−0.148	0.037	−0.138	−3.958	−0.221	−0.074	<0.001
Have you done any surgery to reduce weight	0.026	0.015	0.055	1.776	−0.003	0.054	0.076
BMI (Body mass index)	0.002	0.011	0.005	0.151	−0.021	0.024	0.880

Table 9 Multiple Linear Regression Model for Predictors of Views of Obesity

Variables	Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	95% CI for B		Sig
	B	Std. Error (SE)			Lower Bound	Upper Bound
Constant	1.758	0.143		12.320	1.478	2.038	<0.001
Gender	0.024	0.025	0.028	0.940	−0.026	0.073	0.348
Age (years)	−0.028	0.014	−0.065	−2.040	−0.055	−0.001	0.042
Employment status	−0.011	0.008	−0.043	−1.318	−0.026	0.005	0.188
BM (Body mass index)	−0.016	0.010	−0.050	−1.502	−0.036	0.005	0.133
Nationality	−0.058	0.093	−0.019	−0.629	−0.240	0.124	0.530
Region	−0.004	0.009	−0.013	−0.424	−0.021	0.014	0.672
Monthly income (SAR)	−0.031	0.010	−0.089	−2.990	−0.051	−0.011	0.003
Qualification	−0.028	0.014	−0.064	−2.009	−0.055	−0.001	0.045
Physical activity status	−0.153	0.030	−0.155	−5.017	−0.213	−0.093	<0.001
Presence of chronic disease	−0.043	0.034	−0.043	−1.250	−0.110	0.024	0.212
Have you done any surgery to reduce weight	0.064	0.013	0.146	4.804	0.038	0.090	<0.001

Table 10 Correlation Between Understanding and Views

Variables	Mean (Std)	Pearson Correlation	P-value*
Understanding	3.28 (2.37)	0.160	<0.001
Views	28.08 (8.79)

Note: *Correlation is significant at 0.01 levels.