ArticleBMC public health2015
Do routinely measured risk factors for obesity explain the sex gap in its prevalence? Observations from Saudi Arabia.
Article in BMC public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prevalence, risk factors, and interventions for obesity in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the proportion of physically active children and adults worldwide: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Barriers and Facilitators Associated with Physical Activity in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A Systematic Overview.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in the Middle East and North Africa: An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2020Pooled it
- Physical inactivity, gender and culture in Arab countries: a systematic assessment of the literature.BMC public health · 2018Pooled it
- Association between leptin gene polymorphisms and hematological metabolic parameters in obese Saudi adults.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Clinical and metabolic profile of adults with obesity attending lifestyle medicine clinics.PloS one · 2026Article
- Article
- Satisfaction Paradoxes in Health Behaviors: Contrasting Patterns across Weight, Physical Activity and Dietary Habits.Nutrients · 2024Article
- The Impact of Age, Gender, Temporality, and Geographical Region on the Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight in Saudi Arabia: Scope of Evidence.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The association of early feeding practices with eating behaviors and maternal indulgent feeding behaviors among Saudi preschoolers.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Early feeding practices and body mass index z-score among Saudi preschoolers: a cross-sectional study.BMC pediatrics · 2022Article
- Self-health assessments in Saudi Arabia: Directions for an integrated primary healthcare.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2022Article
- Changes in Feeding Behavior and Feeding Stress Among Mothers of Preschoolers Before and During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Article
- The Association between Obesity and Chronic Conditions: Results from a Large Electronic Health Records System in Saudi Arabia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Metabolic syndrome amongst adults in Jordan: prevalence, trend, and its association with socio-demographic characteristics.Diabetology & metabolic syndrome · 2020Article
- Understanding the Interrelationship between Education, Income, and Obesity among Adults in Saudi Arabia.Obesity facts · 2020Article
- Perceived Effect of Calorie Count Display on Customers' Eating Behaviors in Food Facilities of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia: A Mixed Method Study.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2020Article
- Cardiovascular risk and fruit and vegetable consumption among women in KSA; A cross-sectional study.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2018Article
- Obesity and outcome of post-menopausal women receiving adjuvant letrozole for breast cancer.Ecancermedicalscience · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe prevalence of adult obesity is higher in women than men in most countries. However, the pathways that link female sex with excess obesity are still not fully understood. We examine whether socioeconomic and behavioural factors may mediate the association between sex and obesity in the Saudi Arabian setting where there is female excess in obesity.
methodsWe performed a mediation analysis using a cross-sectional, national household survey from Saudi Arabia with 4758 participants (51% female). A series of multivariable regression models were fitted to test if socioeconomic position, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, diet, and smoking mediate the association between sex and obesity (BMI >=30). The findings were confirmed using causal mediation analysis.
resultsWomen in this sample were roughly twice as likely as men to be obese (crude OR 1.9; 95% CI 1.6-2.3). The odds ratio remained significantly higher for women compared to men in models testing for mediation (OR range 1.95-2.06). Our data suggest that indicators of socio-economic position, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, diet, and smoking do not mediate the sex differences in obesity.
conclusionsOur analysis shows that most commonly measured risk factors for obesity do not explain the sex differences in its prevalence in the Saudi context. Further research is needed to understand what might explain the female excess in obesity prevalence. We discuss how data related to the lived experience of Saudi men and women may tap into underlying mechanisms by which the sex difference in obesity prevalence are produced.
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