Factors of Overweight and Obesity Among Employees of Petrochemical Manufacturing Companies. 2023

Alexander Woodman, and Nizar Jaoua, and Eidan M Al Zahrani, and Othman A Alfahad, and Jenifer V Quiambao, and Mellissa Withers
Vice Deanship of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. alexwoodman.ucla@gmail.com.

The high prevalence of overweight and obesity is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, and create an economic burden for nations, including both direct and indirect costs. Although the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rapidly industrializing and the economy is now less dependent on oil, oil industry is still the main contributor to the Saudi labor force (41%). However, the productivity growth lags behind many developing countries. No studies have been conducted to explore the factors that can be associated with the lower productivity in this population of Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of overweight/obesity and examine the association between overweight/obesity and lifestyle habits among employees of petrochemical manufacturing companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A total of 1000 employees were surveyed. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to predict odds ratios for obesity. About 47% of the sample was normal weight, while 28.5% was overweight and 21.2% was obese. Four factors were found to be predictive of obesity: feelings about weight, age, marital status, and childhood region. More than 52% of employees reported being happy with their weight. Those unhappy with their weight had more than six times greater odds of obesity as compared to those happy with their weight. Married employees were about twice as likely as unmarried to be obese. The findings of high prevalence of overweight and obesity among employees of petrochemical manufacturing suggest that more efforts are needed to promote healthy behaviors among employees. Workplace wellness programs and educational campaigns are recommended to encourage healthy lifestyle habits at both the workplace and in the community.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009765 Obesity A status with BODY WEIGHT that is grossly above the recommended standards, usually due to accumulation of excess FATS in the body. The standards may vary with age, sex, genetic or cultural background. In the BODY MASS INDEX, a BMI greater than 30.0 kg/m2 is considered obese, and a BMI greater than 40.0 kg/m2 is considered morbidly obese (MORBID OBESITY).
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D004522 Educational Status Educational attainment or level of education of an individual. Education Level,Educational Achievement,Educational Attainment,Educational Level,Level of Education,Maternal Education Level,Maternal Educational Attainment,Maternal Educational Level,Paternal Education Level,Paternal Educational Attainment,Paternal Educational Level,Achievement, Educational,Educational Status, Maternal,Educational Status, Paternal,Maternal Educational Status,Paternal Educational Status,Status, Educational,Attainment, Educational,Attainment, Maternal Educational,Attainment, Paternal Educational,Education Level, Maternal,Education Level, Paternal,Education Levels,Educational Achievements,Educational Attainment, Maternal,Educational Attainment, Paternal,Educational Attainments,Educational Level, Maternal,Educational Level, Paternal,Educational Levels,Level, Education,Level, Educational,Level, Maternal Education,Level, Maternal Educational,Level, Paternal Education,Level, Paternal Educational,Levels, Maternal Educational,Maternal Education Levels,Maternal Educational Attainments,Maternal Educational Levels,Paternal Education Levels,Paternal Educational Attainments,Paternal Educational Levels,Status, Maternal Educational,Status, Paternal Educational
D004651 Employment The state of being engaged in an activity or service for wages or salary. Employment Termination,Employment Status,Labor Force,Occupational Status,Status, Occupational,Underemployment,Labor Forces,Status, Employment,Termination, Employment
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012529 Saudi Arabia A country located in the Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen. The capital is Riyadh. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
D015992 Body Mass Index An indicator of body density as determined by the relationship of BODY WEIGHT to BODY HEIGHT. BMI Quetelet Index,Quetelet's Index,Index, Body Mass,Index, Quetelet,Quetelets Index
D015995 Prevalence The total number of cases of a given disease in a specified population at a designated time. It is differentiated from INCIDENCE, which refers to the number of new cases in the population at a given time. Period Prevalence,Point Prevalence,Period Prevalences,Point Prevalences,Prevalence, Period,Prevalence, Point,Prevalences
D017132 Workplace Place or physical location of work or employment. Job Site,Work Location,Work Place,Work-Site,Worksite,Job Sites,Location, Work,Work Locations,Work Places,Work Site,Work-Sites,Workplaces,Worksites
D050177 Overweight A status with BODY WEIGHT that is above certain standards. In the scale of BODY MASS INDEX, overweight is defined as having a BMI of 25.0-29.9 kg/m2. Overweight may or may not be due to increases in body fat (ADIPOSE TISSUE), hence overweight does not equal "over fat".

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