Assessment of Health of Saudi Household Residents in a Rural Village in the Tabuk Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study (2022)

Rural definitions vary from one country to another. In Saudi Arabia, a rural village is defined as having a fixed population residing in 10 or more households with a recognized village name[1]. Rural areas are characterized by smaller populations and are located beyond the boundaries of urban areas, distant from cities and towns[2]. As of 2022, rural residents account for nearly 15% of Saudi Arabia's population. [3]. In 2016, cardiovascular diseases were responsible for 37% of deaths in Saudi Arabia, cancer for 10%, and chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes for 3% each[4].

Our cross-sectional study examined the 587 Saudis in Maqna Village in the Tabuk region. We aim to evaluate the residents' age, gender, marital status, and educational level. We also aim to investigated cases of non-communicable diseases within the village and examined the association between age, gender, and educational status with the leading non-communicable diseases in individuals aged 18 and above in the village.

We found that the village consists of 110 households with diverse family types. Families with both parents are the most common in 60% of households, and single-parent families reside in 18.2% of households. Additionally, 64.5% of families earn a monthly income of less than 6000 SAR, and 22.7% of families are involved in farming or raising sheep.

We observed that the village population was nearly equally distributed between males and females. The most dominant age group was young adults (18-39), comprising 45.5% of individuals. Most children and adolescents in the village (93.6%) were born in nearby cities within a 30 to 180-minute drive from their residence.

For adults aged 18 years and older, educational attainment was as follows: 29.3% had an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, 57.2% had completed secondary school or lower, and 13.5% had not received formal education, with most of the latter being middle-aged and older adults. Regarding occupation, 19.8% of individuals were employed, while 80.2% were unemployed. Regarding marital status, we found that 39.4% of individuals were married, while 60.6% were unmarried. Among married females, nearly half were aged 40-59, nearly a third were aged 18-39, and 12.2% were aged over 60.

In the study, 71.7% of the population were healthy, while 28.3% had non-communicable diseases (hypertension, diabetes, bronchial asthma, osteoarthritis), mental illnesses, disabilities, or undiagnosed conditions. Among children and adolescents, 10.4% had non-communicable diseases, including 4.6% with bronchial asthma. Most of the non-communicable diseases in the village were in adults aged 18 and older, including hypertension (9.9%), diabetes (6.5%), bronchial asthma (6.4%), and osteoarthritis (6.3%). Disabilities affected 4.6% of adults, more than children. Mental illnesses were present in 1.9% of adults. All smokers were male (5.8%). COVID-19 vaccination coverage was 85.7%.

Using statistical analysis for adults aged 18 and older, we found that lack of formal education was linked to higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, bronchial asthma, and osteoarthritis. Employment correlated with fewer hypertension cases compared to unemployment. Females had higher diabetes rates than males.

We conclude that the most prevalent NCDs in the village were associated with advanced age, lower levels of education, and unemployment.

Table 1: Baseline Characteristics of the Sociodemographic of Adults Aged ≥18 living in a village in the Tabuk Region, Saudi Arabia, in 2022 

Table 2: Non-Communicable Diseases  of Adults Aged ≥18 living in a village in the Tabuk Region, Saudi Arabia, in 2022 

References

1. General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). Statistical Definitions Manual [Internet]. 2018. Available from: www.stats.gov.sa

2. Michael Meit A, Alana Knudson M, Gilbert T, Amanda Tzy-Chyi Yu M, Tanenbaum E, Elizabeth Ormson M, et al. The 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook [Internet]. 2014. Available from: http://www.ruralhealthresearch.org/.

3. World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division’s World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision. [Internet]. [cited 2024 May 20]. Rural population (% of total population) - Saudi Arabia | Data. Available from: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS?locations=SA

4. World Health Organization (WHO). Noncommunicable diseases Saudi Arabia 2018 country profile. 2018.