Three Decades of Trends in Risk Factors Attributed to Disease Burden in Saudi Arabia: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

This study aimed to explore the burden attributable to different groups of risk factors (environmental/occupational, behavioral, and metabolic) in Saudi Arabia that were stratified by gender and year and measured by summary exposure values (SEVs) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000. This study was structured as a systematic analysis. Methods: Using the GBD 2021 data, we extracted information on different risk factors attributed to the disease burden in Saudi Arabia to quantify the differences in exposure value (SEV) and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rates (per 100,000) between females and males across different years. Over the years, sustained progress in reducing the number of DALYs attributable to specific environmental and occupational risks has been observed, as well as a slight decrease in some behavioral risks. The highest disease burden was attributed to metabolic and behavioral risk factors, with body mass index being the leading risk factor for both genders. Between 1990 and 2021, the age-standardized DALY rate in those with high body mass indices increased by 168.4% and reached 3436.23 (95% UI 1878.7-5031.5) in males and increased by 125.2% to reach 2952.6 (95% UI 1456.9-4.407) in females. The age-standardized SEVs were the highest in females with a high body mass index, reaching an SEV of 57.98 (95% UI: 64.1-49.2), and in males, an SEV of 50.75 (95% UI: 57.1-42.3) was achieved. Regarding their attributable deaths in 2021, metabolic risk factors were identified as the primary contributors to NCD mortality in 2021. These results reveal persistent health disparities between males and females, underscoring the urgent need for gender-specific research, policies, and interventions. Strategies aimed at promoting health and reducing disease burden should acknowledge the unique health challenges encountered by males and females.