Research
Adherence
COVID-19 lockdowns and associated lifestyle changes (reduced physical activity, increased screen time, comfort eating) led to significant weight gain and increased obesity prevalence in Saudi Arabia.
Be aware that external factors like lockdowns can significantly impact your weight by reducing activity and increasing stress-eating. Proactively manage your environment and stress levels to prevent weight gain.
ModerateSupportsHIGH confidence
Evidence suggests that there is an increase in weight gain from the pre-2020 period to the post-2020 period in Saudi Arabia, attributable to the negative effects of lockdown... the number of people who did not engage in any physical activity increased from 31.6 to 35.2%, and people with higher body weight increased from 33 to 38.8%.
Why this rating
Based on observational studies cited in the review.
Source
Obesity management in the Saudi population
Aljohrah Aldubikhi · Saudi Medical Journal · 2023
DOI 10.15537/smj.2023.44.8.20220724
narrative_reviewCited 22×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Lifestyle interventions, specifically combining dietary changes (low-calorie, low-fat, low-carbohydrate, high-protein, or low-glycemic-index diets) with exercise, are the first-line and fundamental treatment for obesity.Moderate
- High-protein diets promote weight loss and fat mass reduction while maintaining fat-free mass by increasing energy expenditure through diet-induced thermogenesis and stimulating anorexigenic hormones.Moderate
Related findings · Adherence
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