ArticlePloS one2022
The economic burden of overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Economic costs of obesity: a systematic review.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2024Pooled it
- Obesity Burden and Impact of Weight Loss in Saudi Arabia: A Modelling Study.Advances in therapy · 2023Pooled it
- Nutrition transitions, obesity and T2DM in the Middle East and North Africa.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2026Review
- Impact of Obesity on Individuals in Saudi Arabia: A Real-World Patient and Physician Survey.Advances in therapy · 2026Article
- Bariatric Surgery versus Medical Management Effect on Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Severe Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study.Obesity surgery · 2026Observational
- Effectiveness of a school-based obesity control program among adolescents in Makkah: A pretest-posttest intervention study.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2026Article
- The Impact of Weight Loss Secondary to Bariatric Surgery on Telomere Biology: A Narrative Review.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Body mass index impact on health care utilization among people with diabetes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Association between leptin gene polymorphisms and hematological metabolic parameters in obese Saudi adults.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Gaps in Community-Based Screening for Non-Communicable Diseases in Saudi Arabia.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Exploring the role of obesity in predicting mental health disorders: analyzing the effects of diagnosis sequence order.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Central obesity and its associated risk factors among public sector workers in Jigjiga Town, Somali Region, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.Journal of public health research · 2025Article
- Association between pediatric obesity and foot morphology: insights from a large-scale cross-sectional study using photogrammetry.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Advancements and challenges in the management of obesity using pharmacotherapy (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2025Review
- Cost-Consequence Analysis of Semaglutide vs. Liraglutide for Managing Obese Prediabetic and Diabetic Patients in Saudi Arabia: A Single-Center Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Economic Burden of Obesity in Iran University of Medical Sciences: A Cost Analysis Using the Cost of Illness Framework.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Incidence of Gallstones in Patients with Obesity After Bariatric Surgery in Northern Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Clinics and practice · 2025Article
- Prevalence, awareness, attitudes, practices, and associated factors of obesity among adults in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Counseling Practice, Perceived Barriers, and Clinical Decision-Making of Community Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia Regarding Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists and Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
contextThe prevalence of overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia has been rising. Although the health burden of excess weight is well established, little is known about the economic burden.
aimsTo assess the economic burden-both direct medical costs and the value of absenteeism and presenteeism-resulting from overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia. SETTINGS AND
designThe cost of overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabia was estimated from a societal perspective using an epidemiologic approach. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Data were obtained from previously published studies and secondary databases. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Overweight/obesity-attributable costs were calculated for six major noncommunicable diseases; sensitivity analyses were conducted for key model parameters.
resultsThe impact of overweight and obesity for these diseases is found to directly cost a total of $3.8 billion, equal to 4.3 percent of total health expenditures in Saudi Arabia in 2019. Estimated overweight and obesity-attributable absenteeism and presenteeism costs a total of $15.5 billion, equal to 0.9 percent of GDP in 2019.
conclusionsEven when limited to six diseases and a subset of total indirect costs, results indicate that overweight and obesity are a significant economic burden in Saudi Arabia. Future studies should identify strategies to reduce the health and economic burden resulting from excess weight in Saudi Arabia.
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