Attendees of 15 health centers in urban and rural areas in the Riyadh
region were screened for obesity during May and June 1994. Systemic se
lection yielded 1580 Saudi males for analysis. The mean age was 33.6 /- 13.5 years and body mass index (BMI) was 26.9 +/- 5.7 kg/m(2). Only
36.6% of subjects were their ideal weight (BMI < 25 kg/m(2)), while 3
4.5% were overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2)), 26.9% were moderately obes
e (BMI 30-40 kg/m(2) and 1.7% were morbidly obese (BMI > 40 kg/m(2)).
Middle age, lower education and joblessness predicted a higher risk fo
r obesity. Patients living in rural areas had greater BMIs than those
living in urban areas (P < 0.01). Forty percent of overweight particip
ants did not think they were so. The high prevalence of obesity and th
e lack of awareness among those afflicted emphasizes the need for comm
unity-based programs for preventing and reducing obesity, since weight
control is effective in ameliorating most of the disorders associated
with obesity, such as Type II non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, sleep apnea syndrome and osteoa
rthritis of the knees. Young parents who are at risk of developing obe
sity and who play a central role in perpetuating it in their offspring
should be the target of obesity-prevention programs.