Correlation between breast cancer and lifestyle within the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A systematic review

Table 3 Results from papers looking at the prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (continued Table 2)

Ref.	Sample size and characteristics	Participant age range (mean ± SD)	Exposure measures	Anthropometric measurements	Physical activity	Key findings	General findings
[27]	420 Saudi females, from 8 office-based worksites in Riyadh	18-60 yr (31.7 ± 8.3)	PA questionnaire was completed then METs were calculated; Weight and height measured accurately and appropriately	Mean BMI (± SD): 27.1 (± 5.9) 58.3% overweight or obese	52.1%- low-active 41.2%-moderately active 6.7%-Highly active	Sitting time significantly increased with increasing BMI (P = 0.008)	Majority of participants were aware that prolonged sitting was bad for health; The participants working in the private sector had a predicted 80-min increase in sitting time/day; Mean age at menopause was 47.5 ± 7.1 yr
[34]	535 UAE female citizens living in the Urban area of Al Ain medical district. Surveyed September 2000 to August 2001	20-79 (34.3 ± 14.7), ~50% between 20-30 yr	Trained healthcare worker provided the questionnaire to assess PA; Weight and Height were accurately measured	27% overweight; 35% obese	84% report sufficiently active (above minimum recommendations for the elderly)	Prevalence of obesity declined with increasing age Women over the age of 40 were classified as obese by their % of body fat but not their BMI. Age was the only significant predictor of obesity is multivariate logistic regression analysis	Participants that had higher education were significantly more PA (P < 0.001); Younger females were significantly more active (P < 0.001); 84% of the sample are pre-menopausal
[37]	438 non-pregnant married women. All Saudi and were born and resident in the Southwestern region of KSA	Divided into 2 age groups 18-39 yr (n = 305) and 40-60 yr (n = 133)	Weight and Height and WC measured accurately; Lipid Research Clinic questionnaire for strenuous exercise assessment	Mean BMI (± SD) of the 18-39 age group: 29.8 (± 6.5); Mean BMI (± SD) of 40-60 age group: 32.4 (± 5.9); Overall Mean BMI (± SD): 30.6 (± 6.5); 41.1% abdominally obese (WC > 88 cm); 52.2 % totally obese (BMI > 30)	Mean strenuous exercise score was 2.74 (score of 2 is “non-strenuous”, 4 is infrequently strenuous, 6 regularly strenuous)	Mean BMI and WC were significantly greater in the 40-60 age group (P < 0.0001); There was no significance found between abdominal obesity and strenuous exercise score, though the non-strenuous group contained the highest proportion of women with abdominal obesity	Women the 18-39 age group had a significantly higher level of education (P < 0.0001). The prevalence of abdominal obesity was greater in illiterate women (54.1%)
[35]	549 female Qatari nationals. Recruited from the public, universities and companies	18-64 yr (37.4 ± 11.7)	Weight and Height self-reported; Accelerometer to measure steps	Median BMI (IQR) - 28.8 (24.8-33.5)	44%- Sedentary (< 5000 steps/d); 32.4%- low-active (5000-7499 steps/d); 23.5%- Physically active (≥ 7500 steps/d)	There was no significant difference between PA level and BMI; There was a significant difference (P < 0.0001) between activity level and age. Middle age females (45-64) were more PA	PA levels decreased during the summer months

BMI: Body mass index; PA: Physical activity; WC: Waist circumference; SD: Standard deviation; IQR: Interquartile range; IPAQ: International physical activity questionnaire; D-SSTQ: Domain-specific sitting time questionnaire; KSA: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.