The Relationship Between Overweight and Psychological Problems Among University Students in Saudi Arabia

Background: During the last few decades, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) experienced rapid socio-cultural changes caused by the accelerating economy in the Arabian Gulf region. That was associated with major changes in the food choices and eating habits, which, progressively, became more and more “Westernized”. Such “a nutritional transition” has been claimed for the rising rates of overweight and obesity, which were recently observed among Saudi population. Objectives: To identify the effect of overweight on psychological problems among university students in Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June to November 2022 where 150 medical students were selected by convenient sample technique. Psychological problems like depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by using DASS (Lovibond, S. & Lovibond, P. 1995; Short version) self-report questionnaire. Results: The findings of the study indicated significant positive relationship between overweight and psychological problems (r = .61, p < .01). Body mass index was found significantly and positively correlated with anxiety aspect of psychological wellbeing. Conclusion: It is necessary to implement adequate health promotion programs considering the high prevalence and increasing incidence of overweight in Saudi Arabia, which affect all age groups.