Background: Obesity is a leading health problem. Its prevention depends mainly on the knowledge of patients about the disease, its risk factors, and its prevention. Thereby, this study aimed to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practices toward obesity of adults in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was performed in Medina city and used a self-administered questionnaire that was distributed to the public in Hejaz region, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included four sections. The first section examined the demographics, the second section examined the knowledge, while the third section examined the attitude, and the fourth section examined the practices towards obesity.
Results: Total 300 responses were included in this study. Almost 43.3% were obese, with a body mass index (BMI) above 30 kg/m2. Around 56% mentioned that it is an excessive accumulation of fats in the body, while 60.3% believed that the level of obesity could be measured by BMI. Mean score of knowledge, attitude and practice was 20.8 ± 6.8, 1.4 ± 1, and 1.2 ± 1, respectively. Higher educational level (p-value = 0.002) and lower
body mass index (p-value < 0.001) were correlated to improved knowledge levels. Younger age (p-value < 0.001), single participants (p-value = 0.006), higher educational level (p-value = 0.017), and lower BMI (p-value < 0.001) were associated with better attitudes. Younger age (p-value < 0.001), single participants (p-value = 0.006), higher educational level (p-value = 0.001), and higher BMI (p-value < 0.001) were associated with better practices toward obesity.
Conclusion: Although the knowledge of obesity was adequate, the attitudes and practices toward obesity in the Saudi population requires improvement.
Key words: Knowledge, attitude, practice, obesity, Madinah
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