THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIDEO-GAME USING AND OBESITY AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL MALE STUDENTS IN DAMMAM AND AL-KHOBAR, KSA

Abstract

Introduction: Childhood obesity is a very serious condition and it is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes later in life. Numerous studies have discussed the obesity problem and being overweight in children, which is considered a serious public health problem. The intensive use of technology by the children nowadays made the children prone more to the diseases associated with obesity, as long stay in front of screens without physical activity expose them to obesity. The aim of the current study is to identify if the videogame playing is a risk factor for development of obesity in Eastern area of Saudi Arabia particularly in Dammam and AL Khobar cities. Methodology: Descriptive cross sectional study through self-administered questionnaire. distributed to 465 parents who have children in primary male governmental and private schools in Dammam and AL Khobar, Eastern provinces. The questionnaire measured the sociodemographic data of all students as well as Prevalence of obesity by measuring weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI). Results: The BMI of the studied group showed that 46.0% of the studied student were between 5 – 84th percentile, 32.5% were above the 95th, 15.5% were between 85 - 94th percentile and only 6.0% were below the 5th percentile. Regarding the relation between the obesity and game using, the current study showed that, 95.8% of obese students and 95.8% of overweight student were playing electronic games, while 95.3% of normal weight and 89.3% of underweight students were playing electronic games (p value = 0.544). Conclusion: In this sample of children living in Dammam and Al- Khobar, Saudi Arabia, obesity was associated with use of electronic games and also associated with the availability of electronic games and devices in bedroom. Recommendations: Health education among school students is a must, for awareness of the drawbacks of the use of electronic games. Key words: Obesity, BMI, electronic games, students.