Childhood Obesity and Lifestyle Interventions in the Arab Region

Childhood obesity in the Arab region has reached alarming levels, driven by rapid urbanisation, dietary transition towards energy-dense processed foods and declining physical activity. Prevalence estimates exceed 30% in several Gulf states, with evidence of early onset increasing cardiovascular and metabolic risks. Gender disparities are pronounced, with girls facing cultural restrictions on outdoor exercise and boys showing higher screen-time exposures. Schools, families and community environments interact to shape energy balance, yet educational settings often prioritise nutritional guidance over structured physical education. National policies have begun to address food labelling and taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages, but gaps remain in monitoring and multi-sector collaboration. Recent initiatives pilot school-based curricula, mobile-health platforms and family-centred coaching, indicating modest improvements in weight trajectories and behavioural change. However, sustainability and scalability of these interventions are under-researched. Coordination between health ministries, educational authorities and community organisations is essential to curb the lifelong burden of obesity and its related non-communicable diseases.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A cross-sectional survey of male adolescents in Riyadh examined associations between lifestyle habits and obesity indices. Using self-reported physical activity logs and anthropometric measurements, researchers found that higher engagement in vigorous-intensity activity, quantified by metabolic equivalent minutes per week, was inversely correlated with both BMI and waist-to-height ratio. Conversely, increased sedentary time, particularly screen-based activities, aligned with elevated central adiposity. This work underscores the importance of targeting vigorous exercise components in preventive programmes and supports the use of objective activity monitoring to tailor interventions in school settings.

Childhood Obesity and Lifestyle Interventions in the Arab Region publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in childhood obesity and lifestyle interventions in the arab region across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Body mass index (BMI): A measure of weight relative to height (kg/m²) used to classify underweight, overweight and obesity in individuals.

Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR): A central adiposity indicator calculated by dividing waist circumference by height, reflecting abdominal fat distribution.

Metabolic equivalent of task (MET): A unit estimating energy expenditure of physical activities relative to resting metabolic rate.

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA): Physical movements that elevate the heart rate and energy expenditure above resting levels, encompassing activities such as brisk walking, running and sports.

Sedentary behaviour: Low-energy activities involving prolonged sitting or lying down, such as screen time and studying.

References

1. Lifestyle habits and obesity indices among male adolescents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Assessment of School Contributions to Healthy Eating, Physical Activity Education, and Support for Weight-Loss Attempts among Adolescents from Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Nutrients (2023).
3. Factors associated with diet quality of adolescents in Saudi Arabia. Frontiers in Public Health (2024).