Obesity and Mental Health among University Students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health. People are generally considered obese when their body mass index (BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a person’s weight by the square of the person’s height, is over 30 kg/m2, with the range 25–30 kg/m2 defined as overweight. Obesity increases the risk of many physical and mental conditions. During the last few decades, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) experienced rapid socio-cultural changes caused by the accelerating economy in the Arabian Gulf region. That was associated with major changes in the food choices and eating habits, which, progressively, became more and more “Westernized”. Such “a nutritional transition” has been claimed for the rising rates of overweight and obesity, which were recently observed among Saudi population. Therefore, the objective of the current work was to identify the effect of obesity on mental health among university students in Saudi Arabia.