Abstract
Introduction: Obesity is a significant public health problem affecting more than half a billion people in both developed and developing countries. Studies on obesity awareness among school students in Saudi Arabia are scanty. A study conducted among school students in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia showed that most of students had insufficient knowledge of obesity.
Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the level of obesity knowledge of intermediate school students in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia and to determine the relation between students' nutritional status and their obesity knowledge.
Methodology: The research design was cross-sectional. The sample size was calculated as 350. The data was collected by a pretested questionnaire and medical examination. Weight and height of the students were measured to calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI). SPSS for windows was used for data analysis.
Results: Most of the students had adequate level of obesity knowledge 214 (61.1%). The obese students who had adequate knowledge were 60 (72.3%). The overweight, the normal and the underweight students who had adequate knowledge were 63.4%, 59.6% and 47.3% respectively.
Conclusion: In Conclusion, most school students have adequate knowledge about obesity: however, knowledge of students who are obese or overweight is better than those who are normal or underweight. The study recommends more studies about students' knowledge of obesity that involve students from all regions of Saudi Arabia.