The Prevalence of Obesity and the Relationship of Food Intake in the Body Weight of Medical Students of Hail University Northern Saudi Arabia

Background: Obesity is becoming major problems in developed as well as developing countries. Obesity is the major cause of a large number of debilitating and life-threatening diseases such as cardiovascular, metabolic and other non-communicable diseases. The Objectives of this study is to estimate the prevalence of obesity among medical students and the role of food intake among medical students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. 150 Saudi medical students studying at Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, and applied medical science in Hail university were invited. Results: The mean age of the study population was 33.5 ± 18.7 years with 33.6 ± 19.2 for males and 32.3 ± 16.9 for females. Males to female’s ratio was 1.00:1.01. The overall prevalence of obesity was 64.7%. Conclusions: The study showed that the prevalence of obesity among the medical students of Hail University is high, which is comparable to the other studies.  This indicates the need to encourage a healthy lifestyle, healthy food habits, and a physically active daily routine, among medical students.