Moradi-Lakeh Maziar, El Bcheraoui Charbel, Tuffaha Marwa, Daoud Farah, Al Saeedi Mohammad, Basulaiman Mohammed, Memish Ziad A, Al Mazroa Mohammad A, Al Rabeeah Abdullah A, Mokdad Ali H
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, 2301 Fifth Ave, Suite 600, Seattle, WA, 98121, USA.
Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Assadah, Al Murabba Riyadh, 12613, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Fam Pract. 2016 Mar 5;17:26. doi: 10.1186/s12875-016-0425-z.
The health status of the young people is an important indicator for future health and health care needs of the next generation. In order to understand the health risk factors of Saudi youth, we analyzed data from a large national survey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Health Information Survey sample included 2382 youths aged 15 to 24 years old. The questionnaire included information on socio-demographic characteristics, risk factors, risky behaviors, chronic conditions, functional status, health care utilization, and anthropometric and blood pressure measurements.
Only 45.9% of men and 48.4% of women had normal body mass index (BMI). Men were more likely than women to smoke cigarettes or shisha. The prevalence of daily consumption of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables was 6.6%. The prevalence of no or insufficient physical activity was 41.8% in men and 75.6% in women (P < 0.001). Around 40% of men and 25% of women had abnormal blood pressure. Mean BMI and prevalence of insufficient physical activity, current smoking, and hypertension washigher in 20-to 24-year-olds than younger ages. Women were more likely to report that they never use seatbelts (82.2% vs. 65.4%).
The prevalence of modifiable risk factors and risky driving behaviors is very high among Saudi youth. If these current behaviors are not reversed during this crucial age period, the burden of disease and injuries will rise in the future. Our findings call for developing health prevention programs for youths in Saudi Arabia.
年轻人的健康状况是下一代未来健康和医疗需求的重要指标。为了解沙特青年的健康风险因素，我们分析了沙特阿拉伯王国一项大型全国性调查的数据。
沙特健康信息调查样本包括2382名15至24岁的青年。问卷涵盖社会人口学特征、风险因素、危险行为、慢性病、功能状况、医疗服务利用情况以及人体测量和血压测量等信息。
只有45.9%的男性和48.4%的女性体重指数（BMI）正常。男性比女性更有可能吸烟或吸食水烟。每天至少食用五份水果和蔬菜的比例为6.6%。男性中不进行或运动量不足的比例为41.8%，女性为75.6%（P<0.001）。约40%的男性和25%的女性血压异常。20至24岁人群的平均BMI以及运动量不足、当前吸烟和高血压的患病率高于 younger ages。女性更有可能报告她们从不使用安全带（82.2%对65.4%）。
沙特青年中可改变的风险因素和危险驾驶行为的患病率非常高。如果在这个关键年龄段不扭转当前这些行为，未来疾病和伤害的负担将会增加。我们的研究结果呼吁为沙特阿拉伯的青年制定健康预防计划。
