Background: Diet quality is a term used to assess both the quality and variety of food intake by comparing dietary guidelines. The quality of dietary intake can be used to determine the association between food intake and health status. Studies comparing diet quality among students from different departments are limited. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the dietary quality of female college students with majors in different departments at Taibah University, Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted with 658 female participants. The Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) was used to describe dietary quality. Results: The total DQI-I score of the College of Applied Medical Sciences (CAMS) students (55.5%) was higher than those of the College of Sciences (CS) (52.3%) and College of Arts and Humanities (CAH) (50.4%) students. The risk of having a poor diet was higher among the CS (odds ratio (OR) = 1.154, 95% confidence interval (CI) (95% CI) = 1.007–1.879) and CAH students (OR = 1.624, CI = 1.012–2.604) than among the CAMS students. Having a low DQI-I score was associated with a high risk of obesity (OR= 2.478, 95% CI = 1.007–3.879) and a high body fat % (OR = 3.920, 95% CI = 1.757–8.749). Conclusion: This study showed the need to raise awareness among the younger population about the importance of healthy eating, which involves implementing healthy habits to improve one’s quality of life.

Background: Obesity rates among Saudi adolescents are increasing, with regional variations highlighting the need for tailored interventions. School-based health programs in Saudi Arabia are limited and often emphasize weight and body size, potentially exacerbating body image dissatisfaction. There is limited knowledge on the feasibility of non–weight-centric educational programs in Saudi Arabia and their effects on health behaviors and body image. Objectives: This study aimed to (1) assess the prevalence of obesity using BMI-for-age z score (BAZ) and fat percentage among Saudi adolescents; (2) evaluate key health behaviors, cardiovascular fitness, and health literacy; and (3) assess the feasibility and impact of a low-intensity, non–weight-centric educational intervention designed to improve knowledge of macronutrients and metabolic diseases, while examining its safety on body image discrepancies. Methods: A quasi-experimental, pre-post trial with a parallel, nonequivalent control group design was conducted among 95 adolescents (58 boys and 37 girls; mean age 16.18, SD 0.53 years) from 2 public high schools in Medina City, Saudi Arabia. Participants were randomly assigned to either the weight-neutral Macronutrient + Non-Communicable Diseases Health Education group or the weight-neutral Macronutrient Health Education group. Anthropometry (BAZ and fat percentage), cardiovascular fitness, physical activity, and eating behaviors were measured at baseline. Independent t tests and χ² tests were conducted to compare group differences, and a 2-way mixed ANOVA was used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on macronutrient knowledge and body image discrepancies. A total of 69 participants completed the postintervention assessments. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity based on BAZ was 37.9% (36/95), while 50.5% (48/95) of participants were classified as overfat or obese based on fat percentage. Students with normal weight status were significantly more likely to have had prior exposure to health education related to metabolic diseases than students with higher weight status (P=.02). The intervention significantly improved macronutrient-metabolic knowledge (F_1,64=23.452; P<.001), with a large effect size (partial η²=0.268). There was no significant change in students’ body image from pre- to postintervention (P=.70), supporting the safety of these weight-neutral programs. The intervention demonstrated strong feasibility, with a recruitment rate of 82.6% and a retention rate of 72.6%. Conclusions: This study reveals a high prevalence of obesity among Saudi adolescents, particularly when measured using fat percentage. The significant improvement in knowledge and the nonimpact on body image suggest that a non–weight-centric intervention can foster better health outcomes without exacerbating body image dissatisfaction. Region-specific strategies that prioritize metabolic health and macronutrient education over weight-centric messaging should be considered to address both obesity and body image concerns in adolescents.

Background and Objectives: Diet is a potential modifiable risk factor for ulcerative colitis (UC). This study examined the associations of individual dietary components and combined dietary profiles with UC. Methods and Study Design: This case–control study included 157 patients with UC and 395 controls. Dietary consumption frequencies were converted into ordinal scores ranging from 1 to 4. Participants were additionally classified into four dietary profiles based on combined levels of risk-promoting and protective food consumption. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Higher consumption of fast food (OR = 5.30, 95% CI: 3.65, 7.70), carbonated soft drinks (OR = 9.37, 95% CI: 5.78, 15.18), and spicy food (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.21, 2.01) was positively associated with UC. Dairy consumption was inversely associated with UC (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.82). In sex-stratified analyses, vegetable consumption was inversely associated with UC among women only. Compared with participants with high risk-promoting/low protective food consumption, those with low risk-promoting/low protective food consumption (OR = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.21) and those with low risk-promoting/high protective food consumption (OR = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.17) had substantially lower odds of UC. The high risk-promoting/high protective food consumption was not associated with UC. Conclusions: Frequent consumption of fast food, carbonated soft drinks, and spicy food was associated with higher odds of UC, whereas dairy consumption was associated with lower odds. Lower consumption of risk-promoting foods, irrespective of protective food consumption, was associated with substantially lower odds of UC. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these associations.

Background: There is a lack of data regarding breakfast consumption and quality among college students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of breakfast consumption and examine the effect of breakfast location on breakfast nutritional quality and obesity risk among female college students at Taibah University. Methods: A total of 658 students participated in this cross-sectional study. Based on the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) recommendations, breakfast quality scores were computed by summing the individual food components and categorizing participants according to tertiles of the breakfast score distribution. Mixed-effects repeatedmeasures models were used to examine BMI categories with increasing tertiles of breakfast quality scores, stratified by breakfast location. Results and Discussion: Approximately 68% of the participants reported having breakfast regularly. The mean breakfast quality score was determined for students who had breakfast at home (12.5 ± 0.11), at college (10.41± 0.06), and in other places (8.19± 0.48). Obesity was associated with lower average breakfast quality scores based on breakfast location [mean quintile 3 compared with 1 difference: home 13.6 (P < 0.001), college 9.1 (P < 0.001), other 8.6 (P < 0.001)]. Conclusion: The findings presented here indicated that a high percentage of students consume breakfast regularly. Students who had breakfast at home had high scores, which indicated good breakfast quality and a decreased risk of obesity. Further research on breakfast quality is needed in this area, as it affects the nutritional status and quality of life of the younger population.

Background: Obesity is rising among Saudi adolescents, with rural females particularly underserved due to limited health education and sociocultural barriers. Global guidelines promote non–weight-centric approaches to reduce stigma. The Green Apple program delivers school-based, weight-neutral education, with an added metabolic noncommunicable disease (MNCD) prevention unit. Although previously tested in urban settings, it has not yet been evaluated among rural female students. Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Green Apple intervention in improving MNCD knowledge and its safety, defined as no adverse psychological (body image discrepancy and disordered eating) or behavioral (sedentary behavior) outcomes. Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 105 participants from urban and rural schools in Saudi Arabia, with 4 classes assigned to either the intervention group (Green Apple) or the enhanced intervention group (Green Apple+MNCD). Both programs were implemented in female-only classrooms by trained facilitators during regular school hours. The intervention was delivered once per week over 2 consecutive weeks (2 sessions), while the enhanced intervention included an additional third session. Linear mixed-effects models assessed intervention effects across three time points: baseline, postintervention, and 1-month follow-up. Results: The mean age across participants was 16.42 (SD 0.66) years, with a significant difference between groups: 15.97 (SD 0.41) years in the enhanced intervention group and 17.00 (SD 0.42) years in the intervention group ( P <.001). Both interventions significantly improved knowledge across schools. The enhanced intervention (Green Apple+MNCD) group demonstrated an increase of 1.65 (95% CI 0.61-2.70; P <.001) from baseline to follow-up, while the intervention (Green Apple) group showed an increase of 1.26 (95% CI 0.10-2.43; P =.02). However, no significant between-group differences were observed at baseline (mean difference 0.20, SE 0.46; P =.65), postintervention (mean difference 0.79, SE 0.45; P =.08), or follow-up (mean difference 0.73, SE 0.49; P =.13). Although sedentary behavior did not significantly decrease across all schools, a significant reduction was observed in rural schools receiving the Green Apple intervention (–3.12, 95% CI –5.67 to −0.56; P =.02). Regarding safety outcomes, no adverse effects on body image or disordered eating were observed. A significant reduction in disordered eating symptoms was found only in urban schools receiving the enhanced intervention (–0.94, 95% CI –1.61 to –0.26; P =.007). Conclusions: The Green Apple program is a culturally tailored, weight-neutral intervention that improves metabolic health literacy and reduces sedentary behavior among Saudi female adolescents without harming body image or eating behaviors. By focusing on an underserved subgroup, it addresses a key gap in health promotion and aligns with global calls for stigma-free approaches. Broader regional studies are needed to assess its long-term impact.