As health takes on different meanings for everyone, we found it essential to explore how Saudi residents define ‘health’ and prioritize their well-being.
Our survey’s results reveal that "being healthy" primarily means having good mental and emotional health and being free from medical illnesses. These aspects are seen as more important than eating healthily and exercising regularly.
Importance of mental health to Saudi residents
In Saudi Arabia, most people associate health with mental well-being, and a majority rate themselves as mentally healthy. 67% of respondents describe their mental health positively, with 34% rating it as "good" and 33% as "excellent". These positive self-assessments are more common among men belonging to the Gen Y. On the other side, only 11% said they are struggling with mental health (8% poor, 3% very poor). Those are more likely to be younger women belonging to the GenZ. This may suggest a potential gap in mental health awareness between genders in Saudi.
As a way to maintain good mental health, the majority seem to work on avoiding stress and anger (67%) and exercising regularly (42%). Additionally, good mental health is highly correlated with maintaining a good sleep schedule (38%), balancing work and personal life (37%) and engaging with hobbies (36%). However, there’s still 7% of the sample – mostly women – who haven’t yet identified a way to address mental health concerns.
Eating healthy: easier said than done
From a dietary perspective, being healthy is closely linked to maintaining proper eating habits.
However, maintaining a healthy diet doesn’t seem easy to follow due to several challenges. The cost of healthy foods is the primary obstacle, cited by 55% of respondents. Food cravings, particularly for sugary and processed foods, affect 49% of the sample.
Despite these challenges, the majority of people in Saudi do not adhere to a specific diet plan but say they are mindful of their food choices (68%). In contrast, 12% admit they are not mindful of what they eat. Only 20% follow a particular diet program, among those, intermittent fasting seems to be picking up with 55% of the respondents adopting it. Low-carb (38%), high-protein (33%), and Keto (25%) diets also follow to a lower extent, especially among individuals belonging to the GenZ.
When it comes to making dietary choices and learning about new eating trends, 57% of the respondents rely on their own research as their primary source of guidance. Dieticians and nutritionists come second, with nearly half of the sample (48%) seeking their expertise.
Exercising is also crucial to Saudi residents…
Engaging in physical activities is a common way that people in Saudi work on to be healthy in general.
Walking stands out as the most popular physical activity (78%) among the active individuals, followed by running (49%) and swimming (32%).
Digging into the motivation, analysis shows that the primary reason people engage in physical activity is to enhance their mental well-being (67%). Body toning is a significant factor for more than half (54%) of the respondents, particularly among women. Additionally, 47% exercise to burn calories or lose weight, while 46% focus on the enjoyment aspect of working out. Improving endurance is also a key motivator for 43%.
On the other hand, sedentary people don’t exercise mainly because of a lack of motivation (57%) and/or time (45%). These barriers are more prevalent among women belonging to the GenY.