Associations of Total, Leisure, Occupational, and Commuting Sedentary Behavior with Overweight/Obesity Among Adults in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives

To examine the associations of total, leisure, occupational, and commuting sedentary behavior (SB) with overweight/obesity among adults in Saudi Arabia and explore whether these associations differ by SB patterns (weekdays vs. weekends) and sex (men vs. women).

Methods

This secondary analysis of a web-based, cross-sectional survey included 948 adults living in Saudi Arabia (mean age 29.7 years; 52.1% women; 55.4% with overweight/obesity). Total and domain-specific SB were estimated using the Arabic version of the Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire. Overweight/obesity was assessed using body mass index calculated from self-reported height and weight. Adjusted logistic regression models examined the associations of total and domain-specific SB with the odds of overweight/obesity, with analyses conducted across the week and separately for week-days and weekends and stratified by sex.

Results

Higher total and leisure SB across the week and on weekdays were associated with 3.9% to 12.3% higher odds of overweight/obesity, particularly among men (p < 0.05 for all). However, occupational and commuting SB were not associated with the odds of overweight/obesity (p > 0.05 for all). Associations were not statistically significant among women (p > 0.05 for all).

Conclusions

These findings highlight the potential importance of considering the domain and temporal pattern of SB, as well as sex, when examining its associations with overweight/obesity among adults in Saudi Arabia. Further longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to establish temporal and causal relationships between the domains of SB and overweight/obesity in this population.