Joint consensus statement of the Saudi Public Health Authority on the recommended amount of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep duration for healthy Saudis: Background, methodology, and discussion

The Saudi Public Health Authority recently prepared a Consensus Statement regarding how much time a person should spend engaged in physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep to promote optimal health across all age groups. This paper describes the background literature, methodology, and modified RAND Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE)-ADOLOPMENT approach that guided the development process. A Leadership Group and Consensus Panels were formed, and credible existing guidelines were identified. The Panel identified clear criteria to choose the best practice guidelines for the set objectives after evaluation, based on GRADE table evidence, findings table summaries, and draft recommendations. Updating of the selected practice guidelines was performed, and the Consensus Panels separately reviewed the evidence for each behavior and decided to adopt or adapt the selected practice guideline recommendations or create de novo recommendations. Data related to cultural factors that may affect the studied behaviors, such as prayer times, midday napping or “Qailulah,” and the holy month of Ramadan, were also reviewed. Two rounds of voting were conducted to reach a consensus for each behavior.