Sociodemographic Characteristics and Dietary Habits Associated with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Adults Living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Large Cross-Sectional Study.

Background

Generalized anxiety symptoms represent an important public health concern in Saudi Arabia, yet evidence concerning their associated factors remains limited. Guided by the biopsychosocial framework, this study aimed to examine the independent associations of sociodemographic, health-related, psychological, and dietary factors with moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety symptoms among adults residing in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included an online convenience sample of 2044 adults. Participants completed self-reported sociodemographic, health-related, psychological, and dietary measures, together with the validated seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) screening instrument. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety symptoms, defined as a GAD-7 score ≥ 10.

Results

Overall, 33.2% of participants (n = 679) reported moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety symptoms. Women had higher odds of reporting these symptoms than men (odds ratio [OR] = 2.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.71-3.87; p < 0.001). Increasing age was associated with lower odds (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96-0.98; p < 0.001), whereas excess body weight was associated with higher odds (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.02-1.59; p = 0.03). Daily consumption of soft drinks (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.18-2.22; p = 0.002) and snacks (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.00-1.54; p = 0.04) was also associated with higher odds.

Conclusions

Within this predominantly female convenience sample, weight-related and dietary factors were associated with moderate-to-severe generalized anxiety symptoms. These findings may inform the development and evaluation of integrated mental health promotion initiatives, although prospective studies are needed to confirm the observed associations.