Abstract
Background: According to previous studies conducted in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the prevalence of obesity was more than 35%. During the last few decades, the importance of bariatric surgery for weight reduction had continuously been increasing. Compared to non-surgical interventions, bariatric surgery was associated with greater improvement in reducing obesity as well as associated morbidity and mortality.
Objective: The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the general population in Taif City in addition to assessing the level of awareness and knowledge about bariatric surgery among the same population.
Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted in Taif city, Saudi Arabia.
Methods and Material: Data were collected using a designed questionnaire which was published online among the general population of Taif City. Data were collected during the period from February 2018 to March 2018. The questionnaire was consisted of 4 parts including the demographics data, anthropometric measurements, knowledge about obesity and its complications and knowledge about bariatric surgery and its complications.
Results: A total of 664 participants took part in this study. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the studies population were found to be 24% and 33.6% respectively with a mean +/- SD BMI of 28.3 +/- 15.8 kg/m. This study revealed a good level of knowledge about obesity but low level of awareness about bariatric surgery among participants.
Conclusions: Our results suggested that we still need more health education programs for the general population to raise the level of awareness about obesity and bariatric surgery and to minimize the prevalence of obesity and its complications among the general population in Taif City.