Stress-associated eating leads to obesity

Obesity is the major health problem worldwide and has now become one of the leading causes of death globally in both adults and children and its prevalence is continuously increasing worldwide.1 The World Health Organization recently reported that 642 million people were obese in 2014 and this statistics is on the rise globally.2 It is also documented that at least 2.6 million people die annually due to obesity worldwide.2,3 Health consequences of obesity range from risk of premature death to major health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, diabetes, and cancer that cause significant reduction in the overall quality of individuals’ life.1 Authorities from Saudi Arabia mentioned that obesity is one of the leading causes of deaths in the country.4 Forbes also listed Saudi Arabia on 29th position with a percentage of 68.3% of Saudis being obese4,5 and now it is well established that it is a leading concern of the country, where 7 out of 10 Saudi citizens suffering from it.4-6 In 2013, the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia conducted a survey on the National Health Information; the rate of obesity among Saudis in the age group of 15 years and above was found to be 28.7% whereas this rate of obesity in the schoolgoing children was 9.3% and in preschoolchildren this rate was 6%. As a result of these data on obesity, the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia had introduced the program on obesity control.6