OBESITY IN CHILDREN AND ASSOCIATED DISEASES
Authors:   Pediatric Consultant Nephrologist, Maternity & Childrens Hospital in Jeddah, P.O.Box 43392 Postal Code 21561 Jeddah, KSA., Mohammad Al-Rasheedy Mariam , Abdulaziz Murad Manal ,   Assistant Professor Of Family Medicine, Consultant Family Medicine, Family Medicine Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah., Jehad Abousada Hoda ,   M.D KFAFH: King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jeddah, 21159, SA., Mohammad Almalki Raad ,   BMC Validation Intern Doctor at King Fahad Hospital Jeddah MBBS., Ali A Alzahrani Anas ,   Family Physician ,Albaha Primary Health Care Center, Albaha, KSA, Formal Analysis. Family Medicine , General Practitioner, Albaha - KSA., Ahmed Almufarrih Yahya ,   General Physician, Majmaah university, Riyadh, KSA Methodology. MD., Khamis Alghamdi Khawla ,   Intern Doctor at King Fahad Hospital Albaha Data curation. Intern doctor MBBS., Ali Alqozi Layla ,   General physician , Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Qunfudah , KSA Formal Analysis. MD., Abdullah Alzahrani Mohammed ,   General physician, Taif university, Taif , KSA Formal analysis . MD., Fares Alzahrawi Muayyad ,   General Physician, Ibn Sina National College, KSA Data curation. MD, Adnan Bishnaq Raghad ,   General physician , King Abdulaziz University , Jeddah , KSA Conceptualization. MD, Hamoud Almaghthawi Maha ,   General Physician, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA Methodology. MD., Nasser Alrshedi Khairiah ,   General Physician , Hail University , Hail, KSA Conceptualization. MD., Mohammadidris Johar Nadiah ,   General Physician, KSA. Formal Analysis. MD.
Published: January 2021

Background:Over last few decades, obesity has become a serious point of concern. The prevalence rate is continuously rising both in the developed and developing countries. Obesity not only has phycological effect on the individuals but is also associated with an increased risk of developing range of metabolic, cardiovascular, and liver disorders. Objective:The objective of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of obesity in children and the type of diseases associated with it. Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between July to September, 2020. The target audience was the parents of children who were overweight.The questionnaire was designed to primarily gather information related to socio-demographic characteristics and correlation of obesity with the diseases. The questionnaire comprised of total number of 14 questions. The responses were recorded and evaluated through the application of scientific algorithms. Results and Discussions:It was established, that out of the total sample size of 346, around 38% of children were obese and were suffering rom associated comorbid diseases, ranging from anxiety, depression, eating disorder, social isolation, lower education attainment, asthma, constipation, flat feet, backpain, Type 1 and 2 diabetes and precocious puberty. Conclusion:The study presented a worrisome situation of escalating trends of obesity prevalence in children, along with the associated non- communicable diseases. There is need to introduce awareness campaigns along with the measures to promote people to adopt the healthy lifestyles.