Background: Obesity is not just an individual’s problem but a public health issue, globally; the prevalence of childhood obesity is expected to reach 9.1% by 2020. Adiposity rebound occurs between the ages of three and five, the preschool years have been recognized as a critical period in growth and obesity development. One of the facts in childhood obesity is that overweight and obesity are mostly acquired after entering the school, the problem increased with the increasing age due to student's exposure to the outdoor food environment. The term “obesogenic environment” refers to environments, surroundings, opportunities, or conditions of life that promoting obesity in individuals or populations. The aim of this study was to identify the kindergarten environment factors associated with overweight classification among preschool children in Jeddah City. Methods: a cross-sectional study carried out in public kindergartens in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. The BMI-for-age percentile growth charts were used to assess the weight status of children. Environmental policy assessment and observation (EPAO) checklist was used to assess the obesogenic environment in kindergartens. Result: Parents of 198 children completed the questionnaire, 81.3% of children were of normal weight while 8.6% were obese. The mean total EPAO score of the all kindergartens was 23.2 (SD 7, range 15.23-33.32), with higher scores signifying more supportive and less obesogenic environments. It showed that the children who have excess weight were attending the high obesogenic kindergarten, while the children with normal weight were attending less obesogenic environment, P value= 0.001.Conclusion: This study conclude that elements of the childcare environment are associated with overweight classification in young children attending public kindergartens in Jeddah.
