Examining the Relationship between Obesity and Memory Function in Female School Children of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The surge in the prevalence of childhood obesity has drawn attention to its impact on executive and cognitive functions. The adverse correlation between an increase in body weight and a fall in brain health is well reported in the literature. The study was done to examine the relationship between obesity and memory function in female school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The participants of this study (8 to 12 years) were recruited from schools in Riyadh. The memory function test was done using a digit span memory model and a recall test was conducted using the lecture-recall technique. The data obtained was subjected to descriptive analysis and the impact of obesity on memory was interpreted using multiple and stepwise linear regression analysis (SPSS-IBM 23). A total of 611 female school children (average age, 10.3 ± 1.1 years) were included in this study. Around 57% of them were in the healthy weight category. The percentage of failures for students in the memory function test and the recall test were 15% and 11%, respectively. It is noted that with every increase in the BMI category (from underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obese), there was a decrease in working memory scores. The least decreased prediction of the score was found in the working memory food category. Tahfeez had a positive impact on working memory. In four of the five tests, an increase in age by one year had a positive impact, except for the recall test. Similarly, a change in school had a negative impact on recall tests. Overall, a greater level of memory function deficit was noted in obese children. Also, obese children tend to remember food items more accurately, and there is a positive role for memorizing practice in functional memory.