{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T13:49:45Z","timestamp":1785851385128,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782864000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782864000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sage Open Medicine"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Childhood obesity is a growing public health crisis in Saudi Arabia, which was intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study mapped the prevalence and trends among clinic-attending children to inform prevention strategies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of electronic records for 28,275 Saudi children (aged 2\u201314 years) attending primary care clinics in Saudi Arabia\u2019s Eastern Province (2018\u20132024). Body mass index (BMI) was classified according to the Centers for Disease Control criteria (overweight: 85th\u201395th percentile; obesity: \u226595th percentile), excluding secondary causes. Crude and age-standardized prevalence rates were calculated by age, sex, and year using R software.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Mean age was 5.46 years (51% female). Overall, obesity prevalence was 12.3% (higher in males: 13.1% vs. 11.5% females), rising from 6.2% (ages 2\u20133 years) to 23.8% (ages 12\u201314 years). Overweight prevalence was 10.5% (7.3%\u201317.2% by age). Both reached their highest observed values in 2020 (obesity: 19.1%; overweight: 14.5%), with year-to-year variation thereafter.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Age-related increases underscore the obesogenic environments among Saudi youth, with COVID-19 amplifying these risks. Findings highlight the need for resilient, Vision 2030-aligned prevention strategies focusing on early intervention and equity.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/20503121261474088","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]],"date-time":"2026-08-01T12:51:43Z","timestamp":1785588703000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence and age-related trends of overweight and obesity among Saudi children aged 2\u201314 years during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Hanan","family":"Al Shaikh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4398-7020","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hayat","family":"Mushcab","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zainab","family":"Ghanim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amena","family":"Al Yousif","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Halima","family":"Al Talaq","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maha","family":"Abussaud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4827-0731","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anwar","family":"Alotaibi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_7_2_2","volume-title":"Obesity and overweight","author":"World Health Organization","unstructured":"World Health Organization. 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