The prevalence of sedentary behavior among university students in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: A considerable body of research has demonstrated that reducing sitting time benefits health. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the prevalence of sedentary behavior (SB) and its patterns. METHODS: A total of 6975 university students (49.1% female) were chosen randomly to participate in a face-to-face interview. The original English version of the sedentary behavior questionnaire (SBQ) was previously translated into Arabic. Then, the validated Arabic version of the SBQ was used to assess SB. The Arabic SBQ included 9 types of SB (watching television, playing computer/video games, sitting while listening to music, sitting and talking on the phone, doing paperwork or office work, sitting and reading, playing a musical instrument, doing arts and crafts, and sitting and driving/riding in a car, bus or train) on weekdays and weekends. RESULTS: SBQ indicated that the total time of SB was considerably high (478.75 ± 256.60 and 535.86 ± 316.53 (min/day) during weekdays and weekends, respectively). On average, participants spent the most time during the day doing office/paperwork (item number 4) during weekdays (112.47 ± 111.11 min/day) and weekends (122.05 ± 113.49 min/day), followed by sitting time in transportation (item number 9) during weekdays (78.95 ± 83.25 min/day) and weekends (92.84 ± 100.19 min/day). The average total sitting time of the SBQ was 495.09 ± 247.38 (min/day) and 58.4% of the participants reported a high amount of sitting time (≥ 7 hours/day). Independent t-test showed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) between males and females in all types of SB except with doing office/paperwork (item number 4). The results also showed that male students have a longer daily sitting time (521.73 ± 236.53 min/day) than females (467.38 ± 255.28 min/day). Finally, 64.1% of the males reported a high amount of sitting time (≥ 7 hours/day) compared to females (52.3%). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the total mean length of SB in minutes per day for male and female university students was considerably high. About 58% of the population appeared to spend ≥7 h/day sedentary. Male university students are likelier to sit longer than female students. Our findings also indicated that SB and physical activity interventions are needed to raise awareness of the importance of adopting an active lifestyle and reducing sitting time.

Validity and reliability of the Arabic sedentary behavior questionnaire among university students aged between 18-30 years old.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to test the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the sedentary behavior questionnaire (SBQ). METHODS: A total of 624 university students (273 males; 351 females, mean age = 20.8 years) were recruited from Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia. For criterion and constructive validity (n = 352), the Arabic SBQ was compared with total sitting time from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-long form (IPAQ-LF). For concurrent validity, the English and Arabic SBQ versions were given concurrently to bilingual university students (n = 122) once. For test-retest reliability, the Arabic SBQ was given twice to participants (n = 150) at a one-week interval. RESULTS: Sitting time of IPAQ-SF (7th question: sitting time on weekdays) and IPAQ-LF (21st question: sitting time on weekdays and 22nd question: sitting time on weekends) correlated significantly with total sitting time/week of the Arabic SBQ (r = 0.29, p = 0.003; r = 0.14, p = 0.02, respectively). Motorized transportation measured with the IPAQ-LF correlated significantly with time spent driving in a car, bus, or train from the Arabic SBQ on weekdays and weekends (r = 0.53, p < 0.001; r = 0.44 p < 0.001, respectively). The total sitting time of the Arabic SBQ was inversely correlated with BMI (r = -0.18, p = 0.001). The correlations between the Arabic and the English SBQ versions ranged from 0.25-0.96; p < 0.001 on weekdays and 0.50-0.90; p < 0.001 on weekends. Moderate to good reliability was also found between test and retest for all SBQ items and total score during weekdays (0.72 to 0.8), and weekends (0.64 to 0.87), with exception of the 7th item "play musical instrument", ICC = 0.46). Mean difference of test-retest of the Arabic SBQ was not significantly different from zero for the total sitting time of the Arabic SBQ (t = -0.715, P = 0.476). CONCLUSION: The Arabic SBQ had satisfactory levels of reliability, with total sitting time of the Arabic SBQ correlating significantly with sitting times derived from IPAQ-SF, IPAQ-LF, and the English SBQ versions. Hence, the Arabic SBQ can be used as a tool to measure sedentary behavior among adult Arabs aged between 18 to 30 years old in future epidemiologic and clinical practice.

Cytological Changes and Immunocytochemistry Expression of P53 in Oral Mucosa Among Waterpipe Users in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Objective In this study, we aimed to assess cytological changes and p53 expression in oral mucosa among waterpipe users in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methodology A case-control study was conducted in KSA from January to October 2022. Two cytologic oral smear samples each were taken from 500 volunteers; 300 were waterpipe users (case) while 200 did not use a waterpipe (control). They were then stained using the Papanicolaou staining procedure and immunocytochemical method to show the expression of P53. Results The interpretation of the Papanicolaou staining outcomes showed the presence of four results with different proportions: inflammation, infection, atypia, and keratinization. Cytological inflammation was identified among 77/300 (25.6%) waterpipe smokers, which was higher than that among non-users (12/200, 6%). The reverse cytological infection and atypia were also higher in waterpipe smokers compared with controls (9% vs. 4.5% and 4.3% vs. 0.5%, respectively), and keratinization was detected only in waterpipe users (3.6%) compared with controls. Waterpipe users had higher p53 protein expression than non-users. Conclusion Using a waterpipe is an effective way to change the oral mucosa. In atypia and keratinization, there was high p53 expression. These results could indicate that p53 is involved in both the change from normal to cancerous cells and the growth of new cells, but the presence or absence of p53 staining could not be used to predict the outcome of potentially cancerous oral mucosal lesions.