Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, College of Home Economic, Northern Border University, Arar 91431, Saudi Arabia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 10;18(16):8461. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168461.
Overweight and obesity are becoming increasingly prevalent among children and adolescents in Saudi Arabia and are an emerging cause of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Lifestyle factors, such as insufficient levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviors, are responsible for the increased prevalence of NCDs. This study aimed to determine the association between physical activity levels, sedentary behaviors, and anthropometric measurements in Saudi female adolescents. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 399 healthy female adolescent students aged 13-14 years in Arar, Saudi Arabia. The participants were randomly selected from different schools and their anthropometric measurements were determined. The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) and the Adolescent Sedentary Activity Questionnaire (ASAQ) were used to assess their physical activity levels and sedentary behaviors, and an analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS software version 25. A multiple linear regression model was used to determine the association between the variables. The majority of the participants had a normal body mass index (BMI; 79.4%) and waist circumference (WC; 62.4%). A total of 74.4% had waist to height ratio (WHtR) < 0.5. About 92.7% of the participants were not meeting PA recommendations of 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. The overall mean time spent on sedentary activities was high on both weekdays and weekend days at 357.64 ± 86.29 and 470.51 ± 147.64 min/day, respectively. Moreover, anthropometric measurement (BMI) was positively associated with age and negatively associated with sedentary behavior on weekends, while WHtR was positively associated with age. The multiple linear regression analysis also showed that age and sedentary behavior significantly predicted BMI among the study participants (F (2, 396) = 4.346, < 0.014) and age was the only significant predictor of WHtR (F (1, 397) = 16.191, ≤ 0.001). This study revealed that most of the female Saudi adolescents undertook low levels of activity and high levels of sedentary behaviors. Sedentary behaviors were significantly associated with their BMI. Accordingly, an intervention program on healthy lifestyles is important to improve Saudi female adolescents' lifestyles.
超重和肥胖在沙特阿拉伯的儿童和青少年中越来越普遍，也是非传染性疾病（NCDs）的一个新出现的原因。生活方式因素，如体力活动水平不足和久坐行为，是导致 NCDs 发病率上升的原因。本研究旨在确定沙特阿拉伯女性青少年的体力活动水平、久坐行为与人体测量学指标之间的关系。在沙特阿拉伯阿萨拉进行了一项横断面研究，共纳入 399 名年龄在 13-14 岁的健康女性青少年学生。参与者是从不同学校随机选择的，他们的人体测量学指标也被确定。使用《儿童体力活动问卷》（PAQ-C）和《青少年久坐活动问卷》（ASAQ）评估他们的体力活动水平和久坐行为，并使用 IBM SPSS 软件版本 25 进行分析。使用多元线性回归模型确定变量之间的关系。大多数参与者的体重指数（BMI）和腰围（WC）正常（分别为 79.4%和 62.4%）。共有 74.4%的人腰高比（WHtR）<0.5。约 92.7%的参与者没有达到每天 60 分钟中等至剧烈体力活动的建议。工作日和周末的久坐行为时间都很长，分别为 357.64±86.29 分钟/天和 470.51±147.64 分钟/天。此外，人体测量学指标（BMI）与年龄呈正相关，与周末的久坐行为呈负相关，而 WHtR 与年龄呈正相关。多元线性回归分析还表明，年龄和久坐行为在研究参与者中显著预测 BMI（F（2，396）=4.346，<0.014），年龄是 WHtR 的唯一显著预测因素（F（1，397）=16.191，≤0.001）。本研究表明，大多数沙特女性青少年的活动水平较低，久坐行为水平较高。久坐行为与他们的 BMI 显著相关。因此，实施健康生活方式的干预计划对于改善沙特女性青少年的生活方式很重要。
