Lifestyle patterns as predictors of obesity

Lifestyle patterns as predictors of obesity

Obesity is one of the significant risk factors for developing metabolic and heart diseases worldwide. As a risk factor to these diseases, obesity leads to poor glucose control in the body, high blood pressure as well as accumulation of abnormal lipids in the blood vessels. The factors are essential to an inadequate supply of blood to the heart, brain, and kidneys that contribute to stroke and heart attack, among other diseases. Also, poor glucose control leads to the emergence of diabetes, a condition that has also been associated with the destruction of kidneys, eyes, the heart, and other organs. Besides, diabetes is considered a significant contributor to premature deaths, mainly due to its complications that include diabetic commas as well as diabetic foot ulcers and infections. Even though there are many causes of obesity and overweight, especially in Saudi Arabia, stress and lifestyle patterns play a significant role in all populations. Hence, the literature review aims at showing how stress and lifestyle changes play a role in increasing the incidences of obesity and overweight in Saudi Arabia, as well as approaches that can be used to ensure that populations adapt better lifestyles.

Lifestyle patterns as predictors of obesity

The sedentary lifestyle has been linked to the emergence of noncommunicable diseases worldwide, more so obesity and overweight. In a cross-sectional study conducted by Aldossry among undergraduate students in Riyadh medical colleges, a total of 300 medical students were enrolled, and their BMI, as well as waist-hip ratio, recorded and compared to the WHO classification for BMI. Using a questionnaire, Aldossry tried to make a comparison of each participant’s lifestyle and the BMI results.

What emerged from the study is that many of those who were obese had sedentary lifestyles that were marred with less physical activity and poor eating habits. The author also realized that the sedentary lifestyle reported included eating junk food, taking meals while watching television as well as complete avoidance of activities that were considered to be strenuous. Such findings were also noted by Almajwal, who, in another cross-sectional study involving 395 female nurses, realized that poor eating habits due to emotional stress, unhealthy lifestyles, and toxic work environments significantly contributed to obesity (194). By assessing the association between eating behaviors and BMI, Almajwal was able to show that emotional and restrained eating styles significantly led to more obesity among the study population (196).

In yet another study conducted in Abha city, self-administered questionnaires were provided to 550 expatriates to identify the influence of lifestyle patterns in developing obesity. Some of the models studied included idle sitting time, watching television, and working with computers without any exercise. Zaman noted that a majority of the subjects spent over two hours daily without getting involved in any form of physical activity (331). As such, the author realized that the lack of physical activity significantly contributed to overweight and obesity cases. Furthermore, the author noted that over 75% of the participants did not consider overweight to be a concern on wellbeing,

Stress as a predictor of obesity

Stress is another significant predictor of obesity as it impacts not only on an individual’s metabolism but also amount and type of food consumed as well as physical activity. According to Almajwal, stress at work significantly led to poor eating patterns as well as poor food choices that directly lead to obesity (196). In the study, job-related stress was directly linked to interrupted food intake patterns. Indeed, abnormal eating was directly correlated to the amount of stress experienced at work, and this led to restrained eating that was considered to be a predictor of stress-induced consumption (Almajwal 197).

Similarly, in a study conducted by Dallman, stress was noted to induce the secretion of certain hormones in the body known as glucocorticoids that motivated individuals to eat more food (160). According to the author, stress also led to the disruption of the feeding habit and causing the consumption of large amount s of food, which leads to obesity. As such, stress may very well provide individuals with a motivation for eating junk food, especially in workplace environments.

Conclusion

Obesity continues to play an important role in causing noncommunicable diseases in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world. Even though many studies have pointed out the significant risk factors such as sedentary lifestyles, lack of physical activity, and work-related stress in the emergence of obesity, more research needs to be done to effectively bring out these associations and help create effective policies to eliminate the problem. The literature review above shows efforts being made towards this end, and have identified vulnerable populations who are at constant risk of developing obesity and related complications. However, the data used is quite limited, and only a few population groups have been identified in the literature. Yet, other groups are more prone to obesity and overweight, such as adolescents and other vulnerable populations. Moreover, the information provided is critical to understanding the problem, and future research should focus on using larger population groups and providing interventions that promote healthy living and reduction of obesity and related complications.