Work

Paediatric Obesity: Investigating Parental Perception and Associated Risk Factors in a Cross-Sectional Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Obesity in children in today’s world is becoming a critical global health problem, with very serious long-term consequences. In Saudi Arabia growing urbanization, changing eating habits, sedentary lifestyle are some of the common contributing factors to the growing prevalence of childhood obesity. This study seeks to assess the prevalence of paediatric obesity, explore associated risk factors and examine parents perception regarding their child's weight status. Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was carried out in 5 regions of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha, Qassim and Al Jouf). This survey included 600 participants (aged 0 to 18 years) and their parents. Information about respondents was collected through structured questionnaires that examined sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviours, parental weight status and attitudes. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS with a chi-square test being performed to find significant associations. Results: The study discovered that before the age of 5 years 58.6% children will become obese. Parents misunderstanding was prevalent among 60.7% of parents, considering their obese child as normal weight. Childhood obesity is significantly associated (p<0.001) with lifestyle factors such as, screen time exceeding 3 hours (38.3% overweight); eating fast foods, (62.5% overweight); and low physical activity of less than 15 minutes of daily exercise, (55.6% overweight). Furhermore, parents weight status and smoking status in the household conferred on a child a risk for being overweight, meaning smoking households had an overweight prevalence rate of 37.7% (p = 0.004). Conclusion: This work highlights the interaction of lifestyle, socio-economic and parental variables dictating the fate of paediatric obesity. Findings from this study underlines the need of the rigorous assessment of modalities of public intervention, from parental education to community initiatives and policy-driven health work. Future longitudinal studies should devote their lenses towards causation and the impact of obesity prevention input grounded in socio-economic variants.

Source: Journal of Pioneering Medical Science

DOI: 10.47310/jpms202514s0132