Metabolic syndrome among adults in Saudi Arabia: Prevalence and predictors

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is an emerging health problem and has increased globally. This research aims to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) among Saudi Arabia adults and identify the associated predictors of MS among Saudi Arabia adults. One hundred and one (101) male adults aged between 26 and 60 participated in this study. The researchers collected data on height and weight as well as blood samples. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 56.4%. Of the sample, 73.3% ate fast food, 30.7% were smokers, 41.6% were overweight, and 36.6% were obese. It was also found that only 35.6% of participants engaged in low levels of physical activity, 29.7% had a waist size = 102, 70.3% had fasting blood glucose = 100 mg/dl, 48.5% had blood pressure = 130/85 mmHg, 20.8% had triglycerides = 150 mg/dl, 94.1% had high density lipoprotein < 40 mg/dl. Adhoc intervention programmes for non-communicable diseases should be set up in Saudi Arabia to decrease the prevalence of MS

Influence of sports facilities and programs on sports participation at Saudi Universities

Participation in physical activity without doubt has many benefits especially to students at all levels. It is however worrisome to note that this participation by a number of factors including availability of sport facilities and sport programs. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role or influence of sport facilities and programme on the participation in physical activity among the students in Saudi Arabia. In order to do this, the study adopted a descriptive approach with data collected with the aid of an adapted questionnaire administered on 643 undergraduate students who were randomly selected from 25 universities in Saudi Arabia. The data collected were analysed using Smart PLS software. It was revealed that there were inadequate sport facilities in the universities and this greatly affected students’ sports participation at Saudi Arabia universities. In addition, findings revealed that (non)availability of sports programs had effects on the students’ sports participation at Saudi Arabia universities. Therefore, these results showed that sports facilities provided by the universities could positively encourage students to use these facilities and participate in sports activities and that the sports programs provided by the universities had significant effect on students’ participation. The study thus concluded that in order to increase the participation level of students, universities should offer them different types of programs, workshops and training, which enable them to discover their skills and participate in the sports that they believe they can enjoy the most with their colleagues. There should also be adequate provision of sport facilities for the use of the students. It is believed that through these, the students and the country will drive the maximum benefits of sports and sport participation

Metabolic Syndrome among Adults in Saudi Arabia: Prevalence and Predictors

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is an emerging health problem and has increased globally. This research aims to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) among Saudi Arabia adults and identify the associated predictors of MS among Saudi Arabia adults. One hundred and one (101) male adults aged between 26 and 60 participated in this study. The researchers collected data on height and weight as well as blood samples. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 56.4%. Of the sample, 73.3% ate fast food, 30.7% were smokers, 41.6% were overweight, and 36.6% were obese. It was also found that only 35.6% of participants engaged in low levels of physical activity, 29.7% had a waist size ≥ 102, 70.3% had fasting blood glucose ≥ 100 mg/dl, 48.5% had blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg, 20.8% had triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dl, 94.1% had high density lipoprotein &lt; 40 mg/dl. Adhoc intervention programmes for non-communicable diseases should be set up in Saudi Arabia to decrease the prevalence of MS.</jats:p

Comparison of Metabolic Syndrome, Uric Acid and Leisure Time Physical Activity between Former Athletes and Non-Athlees

This study aims to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS), overweight and obesity, uric acid (UA), and leisure time physical activity (LTPA) among former athletes and non-athletes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Moreover, to determine the effects of previous high intensity training on MS risk factors, overweight and obesity, and UA. Seventy-five (75) former athletes and twenty-six (26) non-athletes, aged between 26 and 60 years old, participated in this study. Height, weight, waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), and blood samples were collected by the researcher. LTPA was reported by participants. The study results showed that 38.61% of former athletes have MS and 17.82% of non-athletes have MS. The study also showed that 31.68% of former athletes were overweight and 26.73% were obese. However, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among non-athletes was 9.90%. 23.76% of former athletes had high level of UA, whereas 14.85% of non-athletes had high level of UA. According to the study findings 28% former athletes participated in high physical activity (PA), 38.67% in moderate PA, and 33.33% in low PA, while 19.23% of non-athletes participated in high PA, 38.46% in moderate PA, and 42.31% in low PA. Former athletes had lower mean of body mass index, WC, fasting blood glucose (FBG), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and UA than non-athletes. In addition, higher mean of low high-density lipoprotein (HDL).  However, former athletes had higher mean of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and triglycerides (TG) than non-athletes.</jats:p

Does Participation in Sport Protect Former Saudi Arabian Athletes from High Blood Glucose after Retirement?

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Introduction:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has increased dramatically in the last decades in developed and developing countries. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes in retired athletes in Saudi Arabia and compare it to nonathletes. This study hypothesizes that early participation in sport can prevent former athletes from abnormal blood glucose levels after retirement. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; : The leading methods of researching the issues of the study include the analysis of theoretical sources, analysis of statistics, and comparison. Seventy-three former athletes and 26 nonathletes aged between 20 and 60 years participated in this study. Height, weight, and blood glucose levels were collected by the researcher. The former athletes were divided into 3 groups according to their type of training: endurance, mixed sports, and power sports. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; The study results showed that 40.59% of former athletes had prediabetes compared to 16.83% of nonathletes. Furthermore, 8.91% of the former athletes had T2D, while 3.96% of the nonathletes had T2D. The results of this study indicated that former athletes had lower average blood glucose than nonathletes. Also, the study results indicated that no statistically significant differences were found between former athletes and nonathletes after retirement. About fasting blood glucose, former power athletes had higher average blood glucose than endurance athletes and mixed sports athletes. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; It was concluded that no statistically significant differences were found between the former athlete groups. </jats:p

Prevalence of Obesity and Uric Acid and Their Relationship among Saudi Adults in Makkah Region

This research aims to determine the prevalence of obesity and uric acid among male adults in Makkah region as well as the association between obesity and uric acid level among Makkah adults as a whole. Twenty-six (26) male adults aged between 26 and 60 years participated in this study. Height, weight and blood samples were collected by the researcher. The study results showed 38.5% of participants were overweight and 38.5% were obese. Another significant finding was 57.7% of participants had high uric acid (≥ 7 mg/dL). In regards to the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and uric acid (UA), this study reported a positive non-significant correlation between BMI and UA, indicating that increased BMI correlated with increased UA levels. Therefore, adhoc intervention programs dedicated to reducing obesity and uric acid should be initiated in Makkah region to reduce risk.</jats:p

Rating the significance of the factors influencing shortage of skilled labours for sustainable construction: a perception of Makkah construction practitioner

AbstractThe construction industry is one of the main economic sectors that contribute significantly to social and economic development. However, the lack of skilled labour is one of the factors affecting the success of projects in the construction industry. Skilled labours are the potential for enhancing overall delivery of construction projects to achieve sustainability. Building and construction industry in Makkah has continued to respond to shortages of skilled labours. Hence, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the importance of factors influencing the shortage of skilled labours from the perceptions of construction practitioners. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this study, the quantitative descriptive method was adopted for this research study, and data for this study was collected through a stratified random sample of construction practitioners in Makkah. Data were first analysed by way of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), followed by Relative Importance Index (RII) for ranking comparison among the construction practitioners. The results of RII indicates that the significant factors influencing the shortage of skilled labours in Makkah include delay in salary payment, low wages structure, lack of motivation system, health and safety issues on construction sites, lack of job security, bad relations between skilled labours and management team, poor living conditions, Slow recruitment of skilled labours, restricted government regulations, and exposure of climate conditions. The findings revealed that the factors rated are required for organisational performances which are essential in achieving sustainable building and construction in Makkah.</jats:p

Sports activities for undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia Universities: a systematic literature review

Objectives: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has experienced tremendous economic growth in the past few years and this in turn has led to undesirable lifestyle behaviors coupled with an associated rise in non-communicable diseases. This has forced the KSA administration to encourage sports related activities for a healthy life style. In this article, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is presented to discuss the current state of Physical Activity (PA) and sports activities in KSA and Other Countries in the World (OCW). The article also presents issues that hinder the success of physical and sports activities development in KSA to identify research gap. Methods: SLR search was conducted using ScienceDirect, Springer, Journal of health sciences and Google Scholar databases. The databases electronic search produced 553 articles at the initial stage. Some of these articles were eliminated since they did not conform to inclusion criteria. Finally a total of 58 articles satisfied the condition and were included for the study. Results: The literature highlighted that the studies investigating the male respondents is quite low having 3 in KSA and 0 in OCW, as against 7 in KSA and 0 in OCW for Females. In addition, the empirical analyses of the result based on this SLR concluded that the sports related studies in KSA are very low as compared to OCW. The study revealed that the main factors that hinder the success of physical and sports activities in KSA universities among males are lack of energy, motivation, self-confidence, and time, while among females, they are lack of social support and resources. Conclusion: It is not encouraged to participate in sports activity in Saudi Arabia. Despite the protests to promote sports activities there is very little action in this area as compared to OCW. Therefore, further research is needed to realize the potential in this area KSA to realise the vision 2030 and goal