Saudi Adolescents' Perceptions of Dietary Contributions to Obesity: A Qualitative Study

This dataset accompanies the qualitative study “Saudi Adolescents’ Perceptions of Dietary Contributions to Obesity: A Qualitative Study.” The research explores how overweight and obese adolescents in Saudi Arabia (ages 12–18) perceive dietary factors, cultural influences, and lifestyle contributors to obesity. Data were collected through in-depth, face-to-face interviews (N = 62) conducted in Arabic and translated into English. Thematic analysis identified five major themes: (1) factors contributing to obesity, (2) prevention strategies, (3) education and health system influences, (4) stigma, and (5) perceived health risks. Key findings highlight that adolescents attribute obesity mainly to the easy accessibility of unhealthy food, lack of nutritional knowledge, weak school/health policies, and peer/social influences. Stigma and psychological consequences were frequently reported, along with awareness of long-term health risks such as diabetes and hypertension. This dataset provides anonymized excerpts and summarized responses supporting the published results. It is intended for use in public health research, adolescent health studies, and policy development related to obesity prevention in Middle Eastern contexts. Contents: Anonymized interview excerpts Thematic coding summaries Tables of participant responses (aggregated) Ethical compliance:All data were collected under ethical approval (HAP-09-43, Northern Border University).