BACKGROUND: The goal of the 24-h Movement Practice Guidelines for Saudi Arabia is to provide policymakers, health-care providers, researchers, sports professionals, and members of the public with recommendations on the duration of time they should spend engaged in physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep throughout all age groups. METHODS: A modified RAND appropriateness method and the “GRADE-ADOLOPMENT” approach of guideline recommendations were used by a guideline development panel to develop the present recommendations. RESULTS: The recommendations were based on the integrated needs of the following age groups: children (0–2 years), preschoolers (3–5 years), children and adolescents (6–17 years), adults (18–64 years), and older adults (≥65 years). The guidelines also include special considerations for sleep duration in the Saudi culture, such as dawn prayer and Ramadan. CONCLUSIONS: Several research gaps in physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep were identified and highlighted by the guideline development panel for potential future research.

There are few studies investigating the role of Ramadan fasting on body composition and the characteristics of metabolic syndrome, especially in hot environments. The main aim of the study was to investigate the effect of Ramadan fasting on body composition and the characteristics of metabolic syndrome in apparently healthy men. In a randomized design, 44 college students aged 27.6 ± 5.8 years were selected to participate in the present study. Lifestyle was assessed by a developed questionnaire, body composition was measured using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer, and blood parameters were evaluated by taking a vein blood sample (10 ml) after fasting 10 hr. All measurements were taken 2–3 days before the month of Ramadan, at the end of Week 2 and end of Week 3, and 6 weeks later. The results identified no significant changes in any of the body composition parameters before, during, or after the month of Ramadan. The only significant change in blood parameters was recorded as a positive reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) during the month of Ramadan, compared to before and after Ramadan. No major changes in metabolic syndrome factors were seen except in fasting blood glucose and systolic blood pressure as both factors were slightly but significantly elevated during the month of Ramadan and even after Ramadan, though both of them were within normal levels. This study concludes that Ramadan fasting could be one of the factors that reduce LDL. More studies are needed to clarify the role of Ramadan fasting on different populations such as obese and diabetic patients.

The study examined the associations between physical activity and appendicular lean mass (ALM), fat mass, and bone mineral density (BMD) and examined the role of physical activity on these variables. The participants included 497 men (age: 32.2±10.4 years and body mass index: 28.2±5.4 kg/m²). The study was cross-sectional, and measurements included body composition measured on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and self-reported physical activity assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Physical activity, including light physical activity, was associated with increased ALM (P≤0.05). Fat indicators, including waist circumference, were positively associated with ALM (P≤0.05), but not with BMD. Physical activity, including moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, was not associated with BMD, whereas ALM and handgrip strength were significantly associated with BMD (P≤0.05). Physical activity independent of exercise intensity was directly associated with ALM and indirectly associated with BMD through increased muscle mass and strength.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the lifting capabilities of individuals in hypoxia when they wear different types of safety shoes and to investigate the behavior of the physiological responses induced by the lifting process associated with those variables. Methods: An experimental design was used, based on two sessions. The first was training and acclimatization session, then an experimental lifting phase. A total of ten male students of King Saud University were recruited in the study. A four-way repeated measures design, with four independent variables and six dependent variables, was used in this research. The independent variables that were studied in the experimental lifting phase were: ambient oxygen content (15%, 18%, and 21%), safety shoes type (light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty), lifting frequency (1 and 4 lifts/min), and replication (first and second trials). The dependent variables were also: maximum acceptable weights lifting using the psychophysical technique, heart rate (HR), electromyography (EMG) of (biceps brachii, trapezius, anterior deltoid, and erector spinae), safety shoes discomfort rating, rating of perceived exertion, and ambient oxygen discomfort rating. Results: The maximum acceptable weights lifting that were selected by participants at lower levels of the independent variables (ambient oxygen content 21%, lifting frequency 1 lift/min, and first replication) were significantly higher than at high levels of the independent variables (ambient oxygen content 15%, lifting frequency 4 lift/min, and second replication). Several interaction effects were also significant. Conclusions: It provides evidence that the ambient oxygen content increases the intensity of workload in lifting tasks. It showed that oxygen content affects the psychophysical selection of maximum acceptable weights lifting and the physiological responses represented in muscular activities and heart rate. It suggests that ambient oxygen content must be considered along with the type of safety shoes worn when the lifting task at altitudes occurs.