Socio-Economic and Demographic Correlates of Non-communicable Disease Risk Factors Among Adults in Saudi Arabia

Background: Over the past two decades, Saudi Arabia has made significant improvements in its population's health standards. These improvements have been coupled with an increase in risk factors related to non-communicable diseases (NCD) and a dramatic shift in the burden of disease profile. This study aims to provide empirical evidence on the socio-economic and demographic correlates of NCD risk factors among adults in Saudi Arabia.Methods: The data used for this study is secondary data derived from the Saudi Health Interview Survey (SHIS) conducted in 2013. The SHIS used a cross-sectional survey design to derive a multistage representative sample of adults to estimate the prevalence of NCD risk factors. Risk factors considered for analyses in this study were; current tobacco use, low fruit and vegetable consumption, low physical activity, overweight/obesity and hypertension. The survey covered all regions in Saudi Arabia using probability proportional to size measures. A total of 10,735 adults aged 15 years and above completed the survey questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the socio-economic and demographic correlates of NCD risk factors among adults in Saudi Arabia.Results: The prevalence of NCD risk factors were as follows: current tobacco use, 12.1%; low fruit and vegetable consumption, 87%; low physical activity, 94.9%; overweight/obesity 65.1%; and hypertension, 37.5%. The multivariate analysis results indicate that significant correlates of overweight/obesity and hypertension were being female, a government employee, income level, and education levels. On the other hand, current tobacco use and low fruit and vegetable consumption were generally associated with age, self-employment and being a student. For lifestyle factors, overweight/obesity was high among individuals who reported low fruit and vegetable consumption, while hypertension was high among current tobacco users and overweight/obese adults. All comparisons were statistically significant at p < 0.05.Conclusions: This study's findings indicate a high prevalence of chronic NCD risk factors in Saudi Arabia's adult population. This study implied that there is a need for a reduction in life-damaging behaviors among the adults through the adoption of healthy lifestyles such as physical activity and nutritious diets. Moreover, a reduction in the prevalence of chronic NCD risk factors among different socio-economic groups in Saudi Arabia through healthy lifestyles will have far-reaching results.

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Associations Between Physical Activity and Other Lifestyle Behaviors in Older New Zealanders

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.4.4.412 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 412-423 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

William Mummery ◽

Gregory Kolt ◽

Grant Schofield ◽

Grant McLean

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Lifestyle Risk Factors ◽

Activity Measures ◽

Lifestyle Risk

Background:Physical activity is a key component of healthy aging. We investigated the relationships between physical activity measures and lifestyle risk factors.Methods:Representative population data (N = 1894) of New Zealand adults aged 60 years and older were analysed to study the association between physical activity, smoking, overweight and fruit and vegetable consumption.Results:Activity prevalence of four activity measures were 18.3% inactive/sedentary; 67.6% some recreational walking; 30.7% some vigorous activity; and 51.4% regular physical activity. Females were more likely than males to be inactive and activity levels decreased across age groups. Activity displayed a negative association to smoking and being overweight or obese, and a positive association with fruit and vegetable consumption.Conclusion:Associations between lifestyle risk factors and physical activity indicate a need to address the issue of healthy aging by means of a multi-factorial approach.

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Meeting fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity recommendations among adolescents intending to lose weight

Preventive Medicine Reports ◽

10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.021 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 11-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lisa Kakinami ◽

Stephanie A. Houle-Johnson ◽

Zewditu Demissie ◽

Sylvia Santosa ◽

Janet E. Fulton

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Physical Activity Recommendations ◽

Activity Recommendations

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Rams Have Heart, a Mobile App Tracking Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption to Support the Cardiovascular Health of College Students: Development and Usability Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.15156 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Michelle C Krzyzanowski ◽

Paul N Kizakevich ◽

Vanessa Duren-Winfield ◽

Randall Eckhoff ◽

Joel Hampton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Query Language ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

User Participation ◽

Mobile App ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Intake ◽

Black College ◽

Fruit And Vegetable

BACKGROUND With the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet and as the main computing system of apps, there is a growing market for mobile health apps to provide self-care advice. Their effectiveness with regard to diet and fitness tracking, for example, needs to be examined. The majority of American adults fail to meet daily recommendations for healthy behavior. Testing user engagement with an app in a controlled environment can provide insight into what is effective and not effective in an app focused on improving diet and exercise. OBJECTIVE We developed Rams Have Heart, a mobile app, to support a cardiovascular disease (CVD) intervention course. The app tracks healthy behaviors, including fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity, throughout the day. This paper aimed to present its functionality and evaluated adherence among the African American college student population. METHODS We developed the app using the Personal Health Informatics and Intervention Toolkit, a software framework. Rams Have Heart integrates self-reported health screening with health education, diary tracking, and user feedback modules to acquire data and assess progress. The parent study, conducted at a historically black college and university-designated institution in southeastern United States, consisted of a semester-long intervention administered as an academic course in the fall, for 3 consecutive years. Changes were made after the cohort 1 pilot study, so results only include cohorts 2 and 3, comprising a total of 115 students (n=55 intervention participants and n=54 control participants) aged from 17 to 24 years. Data collected over the study period were transferred using the secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure protocol and stored in a secure Structured Query Language server database accessible only to authorized persons. SAS software was used to analyze the overall app usage and the specific results collected. RESULTS Of the 55 students in the intervention group, 27 (49%) students in cohort 2 and 25 (45%) in cohort 3 used the Rams Have Heart app at least once. Over the course of the fall semester, app participation dropped off gradually until exam week when most students no longer participated. The average fruit and vegetable intake increased slightly, and activity levels decreased over the study period. CONCLUSIONS Rams Have Heart was developed to allow daily tracking of fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity to support a CVD risk intervention for a student demographic susceptible to obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. We conducted an analysis of app usage, function, and user results. Although a mobile app provides privacy and flexibility for user participation in a research study, Rams Have Heart did not improve compliance or user outcomes. Health-oriented research studies relying on apps in support of user goals need further evaluation.

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The UK Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and changes in diet, physical activity and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from eight longitudinal studies

10.1101/2021.06.08.21258531 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bozena Wielgoszewska ◽

Jane Maddock ◽

Michael J Green ◽

Giorgio Di Gessa ◽

Sam Parsons ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Longitudinal Studies ◽

Social Protection ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Job Retention ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

The Uk

Background: In March 2020 the UK implemented the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) to minimize job losses. Our aim was to investigate associations between furlough and diet, physical activity, and sleep during the early stages of the pandemic. Methods: We analysed data from 25,092 participants aged 16 to 66 years from eight UK longitudinal studies. Changes in employment (including being furloughed) were defined by comparing employment status pre- and during the first lockdown. Health behaviours included fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and sleeping patterns. Study-specific estimates obtained using modified Poisson regression, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and pre-pandemic health and health behaviours, were statistically pooled. Associations were also stratified by sex, age, and education. Findings: Across studies, between 8 and 25% of participants were furloughed. Compared to those who remained working, furloughed workers were slightly less likely to be physically inactive (RRR:0.85, [0.75-0.97], I2=58.7%) and did not differ in diet and sleep behaviours. In stratified analyses, furlough was associated with low fruit and vegetable consumption among males (RRR=1.11; 95%CI: 1.01-1.22; I2: 0%) but not females (RRR=0.84; 95%CI: 0.68-1.04; I2: 65%). Considering change in behaviour, furloughed workers were more likely than those who remained working to report increased fruit and vegetable consumption, exercise, and hours of sleep. Interpretation: Those furloughed exhibited broadly similar levels of health behaviours with those who remained in employment during the initial stages of the pandemic. Social protection policies in the post-pandemic recovery period and during future economic crises may help protect population health. Funding: Medical Research Council.

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A comparative study of fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity among adolescents in 49 Low-and-Middle-Income Countries

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-018-19956-0 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Sandra A. Darfour-Oduro ◽

David M. Buchner ◽

Juan E. Andrade ◽

Diana S. Grigsby-Toussaint

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Comparative Study ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

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Health promotion intervention increases fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity among Sub-Saharan African University students: A randomized controlled pilot study

Health Care Current Reviews ◽

10.4172/2375-4273.c1.033 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 04 (07) ◽

Author(s):

G Anita Heeren ◽

C Show Marange ◽

Arnold Gwaze

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Pilot Study ◽

University Students ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Health Promotion Intervention ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Sub Saharan

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Risk of falls and fear of falling in older adults residing in public housing in Ontario, Canada: findings from a multisite observational study

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-019-1399-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Melissa Pirrie ◽

Guneet Saini ◽

Ricardo Angeles ◽

Francine Marzanek ◽

Jenna Parascandalo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Older Adults ◽

Public Housing ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Medical Attention ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

The Past ◽

Risk Factors For Falls

Abstract Background Falls in older adults is a widely researched topic. However, older adults residing in public housing are a vulnerable population that may have unique risk factors for falls. This study aims to describe the prevalence and risk factors for falls, fear of falling, and seeking medical attending for falls in this population. Methods Sociodemographic and health-related data was collected as part of a community-based health assessment program with older adults in public housing. Three pre-screening questions identified individuals at potential risk for falls; individuals who screened positive performed the objective Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Logistic regression was used to evaluate risk factors for four outcome variables: falls in the past year, seeking medical attention for falls, fear of falling, and objectively measured fall risk via TUG test. Results A total of 595 participants were evaluated, of which the majority were female (81.3%), white (86.7%), did not have a high school diploma (50.0%), and reported problems in mobility (56.2%). The prevalence of falls in the past year was 34.5%, seeking medical attention for falls was 20.2% and fear of falling was 38.8%. The TUG test was completed by 257 participants. Notably, males had significantly reduced odds of seeking medical attention for a fall (OR = 0.50, 95%CI 0.25–0.98) and having a fear of falling (OR = 0.42, 95%CI 0.24–0.76); daily fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with decreased odds of having a fall in the past year (OR = 0.55, 95%CI 0.37–0.83), and alcohol consumption was associated with increased odds of fear of falling (OR = 1.72, 95%CI 1.03–2.88). Conclusion Older adults residing in public housing have unique risk factors associated with social determinants of health, such as low fruit and vegetable consumption, which may increase their risk for falls. The findings of this study can be used to inform falls interventions for this population and identify areas for further research.

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