ArticleBMC public health2026
Barriers and enablers to obesity prevention in female-only high schools in Riyadh: a qualitative study exploring healthy eating, physical activity and school-based interventions using the COM-B model.
Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), adolescent health is suboptimal. Findings reported that 79% of youths aged 15-29 were physically inactive with 30% living with overweight or obesity. Poor dietary habits further complicate the obesity epidemic. Schools are promoted as key settings for obesity prevention, yet little is known about female-only high schools. This study explored barriers and enablers to healthy eating (HE), physical activity (PA), and obesity prevention school-based interventions (SBIs) through conducting focus group discussions (FGDs) with students and staff.
methodsNine FGDs were conducted across three female public high schools in Riyadh from varying deprivation levels; six with 37 students (aged 16-17) and three with 19 staff members. A semi-structured topic guide, informed by the COM-B model, explored capabilities, opportunities, and motivations related to obesity prevention. Framework analysis identified key barriers and enablers to HE, PA, and SBIs implementation.
resultsBarriers emerged across all COM-B constructs. Capability-related barriers included lack of trained staff. Opportunity-related barriers were most prominent, including hot weather, curriculum limitations, and built school environment. Staff and students collectively agreed that low student motivation was a key barrier. School staff highlighted structural enablers such as the physical education curriculum, while students identified individual-level motivators including willpower, improved mood, health, and body image. No mutual enablers were identified across staff and student groups.
conclusionFemale-only high schools in KSA face major barriers to obesity prevention SBIs, with low student motivation emerging as a dominant barrier across staff and student groups. Addressing these barriers through context-specific, multi-level approaches integrating staff and student perspectives is critical for effective SBIs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.