Abstract

Background: It is well documented in previous studies that the prevalence of obesity is increasing among the Saudi population with decreased physical activities. The aim of the current study was to assess the prevalence of obesity in the Saudi population and its relation to physical activity in daily life.

Methodology: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among the general population of Saudi Arabia, during the period from August 1 to November 31, 2018. Data were collected using a predesigned online distributed questionnaire. Collected data were coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 22).

Results: The study included 1,182 participants in total, 59.1% of them were females. It was found that 43% of the studied population had normal body mass index (BMI), 24.8% overweight, 26.5% obese, and only 5.5% were underweight. Nearly, 42.2% of obese aged between 21 and 30 years, 73.8% of the underweight group were females, while 54% of obese were males (p

Key words: Saudi population, BMI, obesity, active daily life, normally required daily physical activity, regular muscular exercise