Examining the Impact of Educational Attainment and Gender on Obesity in Saudi Society: A Cultural Capital Approach

This study examines the relationship between educational attainment and obesity across genders in Saudi Arabia, drawing on Bourdieu's cultural capital theory as a theoretical framework. Given the limited Saudi research in this field, this study is significant because it is the first to apply Bourdieu's sociological perspective to analyze the impact of educational attainment on obesity within Saudi culture, focusing on potential gender differences. The study uses secondary data from the National Health Survey 2023, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to test its hypotheses. The results indicate that the relationship between educational attainment and obesity is moderated by gender. Females without a high school diploma have a higher likelihood of obesity than their male counterparts. For those with a high school diploma or some college education, obesity rates were similar for both genders.Moreover, the results suggest that higher educational attainment reduces the risk of obesity, particularly among females. These findings underscore the importance of educational attainment in addressing obesity, with a pronounced protective effect observed in women. This emphasizes the need for targeted health promotion strategies that consider the unique influences of education on health behaviors, particularly concerning gender differences.