Factors Associated with Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity Among People Living in Saudi Arabia – A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: A poor physical activity and sedentary behavior is common among individuals which can be detrimental to one’s health. Furthermore, sedentary behavior is associated with metabolic disorders. Therefore, this study explored factors associated with sedentary behavior and physical activity among individuals in capital region of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based study was conducted over a period of 3 months in 2023 using prevalidated questionnaires, which address the sedentary behavior and physical activity and its factors. This study included among individuals aged from 19 to 50 years, living in Riyadh. Factors associated with outcome variables were identified using multiple linear regression analysis in SPSS. RESULTS: Of the 833 study participants, 569 (68.3%) and most were males aged between years 31–35 years old. Only 20.6% (n=172) of the activities that induced high levels of breathing or heart rate were vigorous-intensity activities among the respondents. The average number of sitting hours per day was 6.74 (SD=1.577). The regression model’s findings showed a significant correlation between mean sitting time and education level (p=0.008), occupation (p=0.001), monthly income (p=0.029), and kind and status of physical activity (p=0.002). Similar to this, there was a significant correlation between age group (p=0.040) and physical activity status (p=0.001) and the amount of time spent engaging in vigorous-intensity activities at work on an average day. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study confirmed that Saudi adults living in the Riyadh region spent a significant amount of time sedentary, and the most common factors associated with sedentary behavior were education, employment, monthly income, physical activity status, type of physical activity, and reasons for not practicing physical activity. The findings of this study can be used by healthcare providers and those associated with policymaking to improve health outcomes in healthcare settings.