Juliann Saquib

Juliann Saquib BS, Education, Exercise Physiology, 2003

Assistant Professor, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

My current research focuses on gender differences in health-related behaviors taking into account the sociocultural context and its impact on health. As an assistant professor at Qassim University, I am responsible for providing training on research methods to the faculty and medical students. I am developing a physical activity intervention for women living in Saudi Arabia that is culturally-tailored, which will aid in the prevention of chronic disease.

During my post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford, I have conducted studies among women in the U.S. and in Bangladesh. The U.S.-based work has been centered on how physical activity affects health outcomes and how to use innovative and technology-based intervention strategies to increase physical activity (Women’s Health Initiative, WHI; PI: Dr. Marcia Stefanick). The Bangladesh-based work has focused on modifiable risk factors such as dietary habits and physical activity as well as the barriers to weight management (Dhaka Urban Health; PI: Dr. Mark Cullen). These two studies enabled me to understand the roles of physical activity and obesity on women’s health. 

I have worked directly in two health-behavior interventions studies. I counseled obese women over the telephone to lose weight by changing their diet and exercise habits. The majority of the women that I counseled lost weight during the follow-up period. Recently, I completed a study on the acceptability of a physical activity intervention using an automated system via the telephone for older women. Most women reported that the system was user-friendly and the majority increased their daily physical activity as a result of using that system.

Juliann Saquib