Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools

Sayar Insaf; Marzougui Mootez; Sayar Rhouma; Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12

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Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools

Sayar Insaf, Marzougui Mootez, Sayar Rhouma, Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman

Published in American Journal of Health Research (Volume 10, Issue 6)

Received: 3 October 2022 Accepted: 23 November 2022 Published: 8 December 2022

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Abstract

Background: The study aimed to discover factors influencing prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents in Unite Arab Emirates and their correlation with physical sport activity, socio-economic circumstances and eating habits. Methods: Overweight and obesity were defined using age and sex-specific Body Mass Index. Physical sport activity, socio-economic conditions and eating practices were assessed with a standardized questionnaire. Factors influencing overweight/obesity were known by Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey. Statistical significance was adopted for P <0•05. Results: Overweight and obesity respectively affected 5•2 and 1•9% of adolescents surveyed. On sex-wise comparison, 35% of males were overweight compared to 24% of females. 61 (25.21%) of females reported not to participate in any sports compared to 16 (15.1%) of males (X²(1) =5.31., p= 0.025**). In addition, 11 males (10.38%) reported to spend less than 15 minutes in each self-physical sport session compared to 51 (21.07%) of females while 63 (59.43%) males reported to spend more than 30 minutes per session compared to 109 (45.04%) of females (X²(3) =11.003, p= 0.01**). Furthermore, we found only 22.7% of Ajman's adolescents had daily Food/Vegetable (F/V) intake and significantly (P<0.05) reduced the menace of overweight/obesity. 10 (9.43%) of males reported fruits among their favorite foods. Conclusion: Overweight/ Obesity were highly correlated with sedentary behavior; insufficient self-physical sports activities and unhealthy food preferences. Therefore, urgent approaches are needed to provide healthier meals to students at secondary schools; limit their access to low-nutrient, energy-dense foods during the school day; and increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity.

Published in	American Journal of Health Research (Volume 10, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12
Page(s)	213-220
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Adolescent, Overweight/Obesity, Physical Sport Activity, Eating Habits

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APA Style

Sayar Insaf, Marzougui Mootez, Sayar Rhouma, Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman. (2022). Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools. American Journal of Health Research, 10(6), 213-220. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12

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ACS Style

Sayar Insaf; Marzougui Mootez; Sayar Rhouma; Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman. Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools. Am. J. Health Res. 2022, 10(6), 213-220. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12

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AMA Style

Sayar Insaf, Marzougui Mootez, Sayar Rhouma, Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman. Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools. Am J Health Res. 2022;10(6):213-220. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12,
  author = {Sayar Insaf and Marzougui Mootez and Sayar Rhouma and Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman},
  title = {Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools},
  journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
  volume = {10},
  number = {6},
  pages = {213-220},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20221006.12},
  abstract = {Background: The study aimed to discover factors influencing prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents in Unite Arab Emirates and their correlation with physical sport activity, socio-economic circumstances and eating habits. Methods: Overweight and obesity were defined using age and sex-specific Body Mass Index. Physical sport activity, socio-economic conditions and eating practices were assessed with a standardized questionnaire. Factors influencing overweight/obesity were known by Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey. Statistical significance was adopted for P Results: Overweight and obesity respectively affected 5•2 and 1•9% of adolescents surveyed. On sex-wise comparison, 35% of males were overweight compared to 24% of females. 61 (25.21%) of females reported not to participate in any sports compared to 16 (15.1%) of males (X²(1) =5.31., p= 0.025**). In addition, 11 males (10.38%) reported to spend less than 15 minutes in each self-physical sport session compared to 51 (21.07%) of females while 63 (59.43%) males reported to spend more than 30 minutes per session compared to 109 (45.04%) of females (X²(3) =11.003, p= 0.01**). Furthermore, we found only 22.7% of Ajman's adolescents had daily Food/Vegetable (F/V) intake and significantly (PConclusion: Overweight/ Obesity were highly correlated with sedentary behavior; insufficient self-physical sports activities and unhealthy food preferences. Therefore, urgent approaches are needed to provide healthier meals to students at secondary schools; limit their access to low-nutrient, energy-dense foods during the school day; and increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools
AU  - Sayar Insaf
AU  - Marzougui Mootez
AU  - Sayar Rhouma
AU  - Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman
Y1  - 2022/12/08
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12
T2  - American Journal of Health Research
JF  - American Journal of Health Research
JO  - American Journal of Health Research
SP  - 213
EP  - 220
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8796
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12
AB  - Background: The study aimed to discover factors influencing prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents in Unite Arab Emirates and their correlation with physical sport activity, socio-economic circumstances and eating habits. Methods: Overweight and obesity were defined using age and sex-specific Body Mass Index. Physical sport activity, socio-economic conditions and eating practices were assessed with a standardized questionnaire. Factors influencing overweight/obesity were known by Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey. Statistical significance was adopted for P Results: Overweight and obesity respectively affected 5•2 and 1•9% of adolescents surveyed. On sex-wise comparison, 35% of males were overweight compared to 24% of females. 61 (25.21%) of females reported not to participate in any sports compared to 16 (15.1%) of males (X²(1) =5.31., p= 0.025**). In addition, 11 males (10.38%) reported to spend less than 15 minutes in each self-physical sport session compared to 51 (21.07%) of females while 63 (59.43%) males reported to spend more than 30 minutes per session compared to 109 (45.04%) of females (X²(3) =11.003, p= 0.01**). Furthermore, we found only 22.7% of Ajman's adolescents had daily Food/Vegetable (F/V) intake and significantly (PConclusion: Overweight/ Obesity were highly correlated with sedentary behavior; insufficient self-physical sports activities and unhealthy food preferences. Therefore, urgent approaches are needed to provide healthier meals to students at secondary schools; limit their access to low-nutrient, energy-dense foods during the school day; and increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity.
VL  - 10
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Author Information

Sayar Insaf

High Institute of Sport and Physical Education at Ksar Said, Department of Physical Activity, Manouba University, Tunis, Tunisia
Marzougui Mootez

Ajman Cross Fit Center, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
Sayar Rhouma

Plant Breeding Department, Kef Higher School of Agriculture (ESAK), Jendouba University, Boulifa, Tunisia
Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman

High Institute of Sport and Physical Education at Ksar Said, Department of Physical Activity, Manouba University, Tunis, Tunisia

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Sayar Insaf, Marzougui Mootez, Sayar Rhouma, Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman. (2022). Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools. American Journal of Health Research, 10(6), 213-220. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12

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ACS Style

Sayar Insaf; Marzougui Mootez; Sayar Rhouma; Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman. Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools. Am. J. Health Res. 2022, 10(6), 213-220. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12

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AMA Style

Sayar Insaf, Marzougui Mootez, Sayar Rhouma, Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman. Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools. Am J Health Res. 2022;10(6):213-220. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12,
  author = {Sayar Insaf and Marzougui Mootez and Sayar Rhouma and Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman},
  title = {Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools},
  journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
  volume = {10},
  number = {6},
  pages = {213-220},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20221006.12},
  abstract = {Background: The study aimed to discover factors influencing prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents in Unite Arab Emirates and their correlation with physical sport activity, socio-economic circumstances and eating habits. Methods: Overweight and obesity were defined using age and sex-specific Body Mass Index. Physical sport activity, socio-economic conditions and eating practices were assessed with a standardized questionnaire. Factors influencing overweight/obesity were known by Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey. Statistical significance was adopted for P Results: Overweight and obesity respectively affected 5•2 and 1•9% of adolescents surveyed. On sex-wise comparison, 35% of males were overweight compared to 24% of females. 61 (25.21%) of females reported not to participate in any sports compared to 16 (15.1%) of males (X²(1) =5.31., p= 0.025**). In addition, 11 males (10.38%) reported to spend less than 15 minutes in each self-physical sport session compared to 51 (21.07%) of females while 63 (59.43%) males reported to spend more than 30 minutes per session compared to 109 (45.04%) of females (X²(3) =11.003, p= 0.01**). Furthermore, we found only 22.7% of Ajman's adolescents had daily Food/Vegetable (F/V) intake and significantly (PConclusion: Overweight/ Obesity were highly correlated with sedentary behavior; insufficient self-physical sports activities and unhealthy food preferences. Therefore, urgent approaches are needed to provide healthier meals to students at secondary schools; limit their access to low-nutrient, energy-dense foods during the school day; and increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Factors Influencing Exceed Weight Among Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey of Ajman’s Secondary Schools
AU  - Sayar Insaf
AU  - Marzougui Mootez
AU  - Sayar Rhouma
AU  - Abderraouf Ben Abderrahman
Y1  - 2022/12/08
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12
T2  - American Journal of Health Research
JF  - American Journal of Health Research
JO  - American Journal of Health Research
SP  - 213
EP  - 220
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8796
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20221006.12
AB  - Background: The study aimed to discover factors influencing prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents in Unite Arab Emirates and their correlation with physical sport activity, socio-economic circumstances and eating habits. Methods: Overweight and obesity were defined using age and sex-specific Body Mass Index. Physical sport activity, socio-economic conditions and eating practices were assessed with a standardized questionnaire. Factors influencing overweight/obesity were known by Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey. Statistical significance was adopted for P Results: Overweight and obesity respectively affected 5•2 and 1•9% of adolescents surveyed. On sex-wise comparison, 35% of males were overweight compared to 24% of females. 61 (25.21%) of females reported not to participate in any sports compared to 16 (15.1%) of males (X²(1) =5.31., p= 0.025**). In addition, 11 males (10.38%) reported to spend less than 15 minutes in each self-physical sport session compared to 51 (21.07%) of females while 63 (59.43%) males reported to spend more than 30 minutes per session compared to 109 (45.04%) of females (X²(3) =11.003, p= 0.01**). Furthermore, we found only 22.7% of Ajman's adolescents had daily Food/Vegetable (F/V) intake and significantly (PConclusion: Overweight/ Obesity were highly correlated with sedentary behavior; insufficient self-physical sports activities and unhealthy food preferences. Therefore, urgent approaches are needed to provide healthier meals to students at secondary schools; limit their access to low-nutrient, energy-dense foods during the school day; and increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity.
VL  - 10
IS  - 6
ER  -

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