Children's body mass index and associated factors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Twenty million children under 5 years old are estimated to suffer from malnutrition worldwide. The objective of this study is to determine factors associated with Riyadh children's nutritional status. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 6-12, excluding mentally ill children. The sample size was 200. Data were collected through interview-administered questionnaires developed for this study's purpose after consulting relevant literature and epidemiologists. Data analysis was via SPSS version-23; a p-value of 0.05 or less is considered significant. Consent was obtained before data collection, emphasizing confidentiality and the participant's rights to withdraw from the study at any time. Most of the study respondents in the age group (6-12 years) were 12 years (22%), and the predominant gender were girls (55.5%). No significant statistical relationship existed between the mother's education and the children's body mass index (BMI, p = 0.168). Many respondents had a normal BMI (40.5%), while a minority were underweight (28.5%) among all groups. There was a significant statistical relationship between the BMI of the children and with mother's BMI (p = 0.016). There was no significant statistical relationship between the food source and children's BMI (p = 0.710). There was no significant statistical relationship between the average meal and the children's BMI (p = 0.098). There is a significant relationship between the BMI of the respondents and the mother's BMI under the underweight group.