From Sand to Excellence: A Deep Dive into Abu Dhabi's Rheumatology Landscape.

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi (AD) is the capital and largest emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The emirate's economic significance stems from non-oil and oil contributions to GDP. The 2022 GDP of Abu Dhabi was USD 230 billion. The government provides services to its residents through digital platforms such as official websites. The Abu Dhabi Health Insurance Law No. 23 of 2005 mandates that residents have access to necessary medical care and services. There is a paucity in the literature on the available rheumatology services in the Arab region. This review article aims to explore the status of rheumatology services in AD for both residents and visitors. It will include an overview of paediatric and adult rheumatology care, accessibility of diagnostic procedures, the integration of electronic medical records, access to medications, the status of postgraduate education, research, and suggestions on how to enhance rheumatology services in AD as a destination for medical tourism.

Determinants of sickness absence in police: Case study of Abu Dhabi police department, UAE.

Sickness absence among employees is reported to reduce organization profits and performance and thus threaten the organization's existence in the market. The monitoring and reporting of data on sickness absence is considered a crucial element of reactive health and safety control systems in organizations. It is one of the major indicators of organizational continuous commitment to improving the quality of working conditions. However, sickness absence in Police in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is less investigated. The Occupational Health and Safety Survey developed for this study was distributed to 1317 employees of the Capital Police Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police. The survey was answered by 760 employees (58 %). While 230 (17 %) refused to participate, 259 (20 %) did not return the surveys, and 68 (5 %) were not surveyed as they were on authorized long-term leave for various reasons (and did not receive the survey). This study analyzes if the psychosocial work factors, physical work exposure factors, and employee's perception of the health and safety management system predict sickness absence in the Abu Dhabi Police after taking into account the other covariates. This study found no association between job control and the risk of sickness absence, in contrast to findings from other studies. There was also no association between psychological job demand and the perception of health and safety management with the risk of sickness absence in this study. Officers who fit the 'job strain' category did not have a significant increase in the risk of sickness absence in this study. However, high levels of combined physical exposures reported a significant relation with sickness absence. In conclusion, this, being one of the first studies in the region, provides insights on work factors and perception of HSE on sickness absence and provides recommendations within the context of the region for future studies and address sickness absence among police in the UAE.

Recurrence and survival for patients with thyroid carcinoma in the pediatric age group in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi: retrospective analysis of a multicentre cohort.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric thyroid cancer represents 2.3 % of thyroid cancers, and its long-term outcome data are sparse. There have not been studies in the UAE delineating its epidemiology, clinical and histological characteristics, and follow-up outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the clinical-pathological behavior, recurrence and survival rates in pediatrics with all types of thyroid cancer in the UAE. METHODS: Multicentre retrospective chart review analysis of pediatric patients with thyroid carcinoma from January 2010 to December 2020 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients were included, 85 % being females. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) was the commonest type of thyroid cancer (88 %) vs. follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) (11.8 %). Almost half of our patients had a multifocal disease, 26 % had lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and 21 % had extrathyroidal extension (ETE). There were no mortalities during follow-up. 85 % of patients exhibited complete remission, while 15 % of patients showed evidence of progressive residual or recurrent disease. One patient had metastasis to lymph nodes and lungs. CONCLUSIONS: There were similar trends of incidence, sex prevalence, and histopathological patterns as the ones observed internationally. Potential risk factors in our population include a family history of thyroid cancer and obesity. The lower rate of ETE, LVI, metastasis, and recurrence indicates a possibly less aggressive disease.

"Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been": a path analysis of the associations between happiness and health, sleep, physical activities for older people in Abu Dhabi.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to identify the associations of happiness and factors related to physical and mental health, leisure, and sports activities amongst older adults in Abu Dhabi. The sample comprised 1,004 participants in the third Abu Dhabi Quality of Life survey administered in 2019-2020. METHODS: The analysis used path analysis to develop a model incorporating the specified variables. The path model highlighted all direct and indirect associations between the variables. We also used variance analysis to test the differences in gender, marital status, and education attainment with happiness. RESULTS: Results show that sleep quality is most associated with happiness and subjective health. In addition, sleeping hours did not show any association with subjective health; but were associated with happiness. The result also confirms that mental health is negatively associated with happiness and subjective health. How often an elderly gets involved in sport and activities for at least 30 min significantly affects subjective health and happiness. CONCLUSIONS: Happiness of older adults is best understood when we look at both direct and indirect effects using a path model. Their happiness is significantly associated with their subjective health, mental health, participation in sport and activities and sleep quality, Implications of the study were highlighted, along with future research directions.

Knowledge and practice and attitude toward cupping therapy among physicians in Sheikh Khalifa medical city.

Background: Complementary medicine (CM) is gaining popularity worldwide. According to the 2019 World Health Organization global report on traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM), 80% of member states acknowledged practicing T&CM. In the United Arab Emirates, T&CM practice prevalence in 2012 was 20-39%. These trends highlight physicians' need for knowledge on CM, such as cupping therapy. Objective: This study aims to assess knowledge, practice, and attitude toward cupping therapy (CT) among physicians in Sheikh Khalifa medical city (SKMC). Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2020 to March 2021 among the physicians of SKMC. The survey was carried out using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included four sections: socio-demographics, knowledge of physicians toward cupping therapy, physicians' attitude toward cupping therapy, and physicians' practice toward cupping therapy. SPSS version 28 was used for data analysis. Data were reported in frequencies and percentages. A P value of <0.05 is the level of statistical significance. Results: The response rate was 83%. Among the 154 participants, 67.5% had adequate knowledge of CT, 66.9% showed a positive attitude, and 31.2% reported good practice toward CT. Individuals below 40 years reported significantly lesser knowledge than individuals over 40 years (p = 0.035, OR 0.49 [0.246-0.998]). Over 80% of physicians concur that cupping therapy can be used to treat and manage low back pain, joint discomfort, headache, migraine, and anxiety. The majority of physicians believe that education regarding cupping therapy is required. Conclusions: Most physicians had adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward cupping therapy.

Early retirement intentions among Abu Dhabi Police: investigating the role of psychosocial work factors and sickness absenteeism.

BACKGROUND: Police departments are encouraged to integrate their health and safety management systems with the operational arrangements to demonstrate commitment to the improvement of working environment in the police is by the collection and analysis of occupational health data such as sickness absence and early retirement intention. METHODS: About 760 responses to the Occupational Health and Safety Survey by the Abu Dhabi Police employees was used to analyse the early retirement intentions considering the work-related factors and sickness absence data. RESULTS: Logistic regression results of the unadjusted model reported higher odds that lower levels of co-worker support, supervisor support, workplace support related to intentions of early retirement. Also, unfavourable perception of health management increases the odds to early retirement among the employees. CONCLUSION: The outcome of this study provides insights into the determinants of early retirement intentions in the less explored region of middle-east, specifically in Abu Dhabi. Thorough analysis of such data will help police organisations to prioritise plans and improve the health and wellbeing of officers, in turn contributing to strengthening the fight against crime and minimizing the number of occupational injuries and premature exit from paid work.

Geochemistry and Sr, S, and O stable isotopes of Miocene Abu Dhabi evaporites, United Arab Emirates.

This study investigates for the first time the subsurface Miocene evaporite facies (Gachsaran Formation) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Forty-five evaporite rock samples were selected for petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical investigations and stable isotope analyses to decipher their origin and constrain their age. Secondary gypsum with anhydrite relics dominates the investigated evaporitic rocks, with minor amounts of clays, dolomicrite, Fe/Ti oxides, and celestite. These samples are characterized by their excellent purity and low variability in geochemical composition. The distribution of trace element concentrations is significantly influenced by continental detrital intake. The main focus of the study is to determine the strontium, sulfur, and oxygen stable isotope compositions. The measured 87Sr/86Sr values of 0.708411-0.708739 are consistent with Miocene marine sulfates and indicate ∼21.12-15.91 Ma (Late Aquitanian-Burdigalian). The δ34S and δ18O values are 17.10‰-21.59‰ and 11.89‰-19.16‰, respectively. These values are comparable to those of Tertiary marine evaporites. The relatively low values of δ34S suggest that non-marine water possesses little influence on S distribution. The geochemical composition and Sr, S, and O isotope distributions of the Abu Dhabi gypsum facies from the Gachsaran Formation reveals that their source brines were marine (coastal saline/sabkha) with subordinate continental input.

Subtype frequency, demographic features, treatment and outcome of Juvenile Arthritis in one Centre in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects 1 in 1000 children worldwide. Our population in the United Arab Emirates is diverse. The objective of this study is to describe the subtype frequency, demographic features and treatments received and outcome of our patients. METHODS: Patients with the diagnosis of Juvenile Arthritis identified through the hospital electronic medical records system (EMR), which was implemented for all medical documentation in January 2011. All patients included are patients who presented to our center for treatment and follow up from 2011 to end of 2021. Retrospective case notes review of patients electronic medical records with the diagnosis of JIA was performed. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-eight patients in total. Oligoarticular subtype was the most represented with 75 patients (55%) followed by Rheumatoid factor negative polyarticular JIA with 32 patients (23%) then Enthesitis related arthritis (ERA) with 10 patients (7%) then psoriatic (6%) then systemic JIA (5%). Undifferentiated subtype of 2%. The most diagnostic delay is in enthesitis related arthritis subtype with a mean of 11.4 months (6-25) followed by undifferentiated JIA with a mean of 7.5 months (4-8.5). 131 (96%) out of 138 received steroid treatment. Only 6 patients did not receive steroids. Out of 138 patients, 101 (73%) were on synthetic disease modifying medication methotrexate. Sixty-eight patients out of the total 138 required biologic treatment (49%). In total 93 patients achieved clinical remission (67%). In remission on treatment 78 patients which is (56%) of the total number of patients with follow up ranging from 1 to 5 years and 84% of patients in remission. In remission off treatment 15 patients (11% of all patients and 16% of patients in remission). CONCLUSION: The most common subtype in our cohort of patients is oligoarticular JIA. Longest delay is for ERA subtype. All our patients with oligoarticular JIA received Intra articular steroid injection as first line treatment. 49% of our patients received biologic treatment similar to rate in Northern Europe. Our remission rate is 67% with 11% of patients are in remission off treatment. Access to care remains a priority to treat patients effectively.

Groundwater recharge estimation using in-situ and GRACE observations in the eastern region of the United Arab Emirates.

The intensive agricultural expansion and rapid urban development in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates (UAE) have resulted in a major decline in local and regional groundwater levels. By using the latest release (RL06) of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite measurements and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) products, the groundwater storage change was computed and compared with the time series of in-situ monitoring wells over the period of 2010-2016. The RL06 GRACE products from Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), University of Texas Center for Space Research (CSR), German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ), and JPL mass concentrations (MASCON) were assessed and have shown satisfactory agreements with the monitoring wells. The JPL MASCON reflected the in-situ groundwater storage change better than the other GRACE products (R = 0.5, lag =1 month, RMSE = 13 mm). The groundwater recharge is estimated for the study area and compared with the in-situ recharge method that considers multi recharge components from the rainfall, irrigation return flow and internal fluxes. The results show that the agreements between in-situ and GRACE-derived recharge estimates are highly agreeable (e.g., R2 = 0.91, RMSE = 1.5 Mm3 to 7.8 Mm3, and Nash-Sutcliff Efficiency = 0.7). Using the Mann-Kendall trend test and Sen's slope, the analyses of policies, number of wells, and farm areal expansion with groundwater time series derived from GRACE helped to validate GRACE and emphasize the importance of regulations for sustainable development of groundwater resources. The impacts of subsidy cuts after 2010 can be captured from the GRACE data in the eastern region of Abu Dhabi Emirate. The linear trend of groundwater storage anomaly obtained from GRACE over the period from 2003 to 2010 is -6.36 ± 0.6 mm/year while it showed a decline trend of -1.2 ± 0.6 mm/year after the subsidy cut. The proposed approach has a potential application for estimating groundwater recharge in other arid regions where in-situ monitoring wells are limited or absent.

Retiring Unprepared in Abu Dhabi? Predicting Emirati Employees' Retirement Age and Self-Activation.

The topic of retirement is rarely explored in the context of the Middle Eastern and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This study drew on data from a large-scale survey of retirees in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a universal welfare state characterized by the persistence of the traditional male-breadwinner model and gender roles, to analyze the determinants of retirement timing and post-retirement work. Multi-level regressions were performed to explore the effects of individual, family, institutional, and social-economic factors. The study revealed that Emirati females tended to retire earlier than men to fulfill their domestic duties and informal caregiving roles, rather than to retire together with their spouse. Additionally, early retirement incentives offered by Abu Dhabi pension systems appeared to attract employees into early retirement. On the other hand, securing more financial resources and reduced sense of belonging in society were among the most significant predictors of post-retirement job searching motivations among Emirati retirees.

Perceptions of preschool teachers of the characteristics of gifted learners in Abu Dhabi: A qualitative study.

Considerable evidence supports that preschool education is a milestone stage for children. Nonetheless, systematic preschool gifted education programs rarely exist in public elementary schools. The current study explored the perceptions of 16 preschool teachers (general and special education teachers) from seven public schools in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding their views about various components of gifted education for preschool children. Qualitative analyses, using the inductive data analysis method, revealed several themes such as (a) the concept and identification of giftedness, (b) characteristics of gifted preschoolers, (c) preschoolers' problem-solving skills, (d) the communication and social skills of gifted preschoolers, resources/services offered by the school to serve gifted preschoolers, (e) enrichment programs available for gifted preschoolers, (f) inclusive education for gifted preschoolers, (g) twice-exceptional preschoolers, and (h) governmental support. The results of this study may help advocate for infusing more services and programs related to the identification and education of gifted preschoolers in public schools. The findings identified the need to have an abundance of assessment tools and enrichment programs that can empower preschool teachers to cater for giftedness.

Predicting disability retirement among Abu Dhabi police using multiple measure of sickness absence.

BACKGROUND: Disability retirement has been investigated in the last two decades using predictors such as measures of sickness absence, psychological, social, and organizational work factors. The impact of various health-related and sickness measures on disability retirement across various occupational group reveal a significant relation. However, current literature lacks understanding in police personnel. METHODS: This study examines the roles of demographic and measures of sickness absence on disability retirement among police personnel in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The case-control design was used to predict disability retirement wherein controls were matched with cases according to age and gender from those who worked in the same administration as the case at baseline, to reduce the possible confounding influence of these variables. Conditional logistic regression models were used determine the odds-ratio of various measures of sickness absence in predicting disability retirement. RESULTS: Results indicate that increased number of spells, and number of days of sickness absence can predict disability retirements among police personnel in the UAE. Results indicate that odds ratios for disability retirement for the total exposure period increased from 1.76 (95% CI = 1.42-2.20) for spells of 4-7d to 2.47 (95%CI = 1.79-3.40) for spells of > 4 weeks. When compared with their married counterparts, non-married police employees had a statistically significant increase in odds of disability retirement of almost three fold (OR = 2.93, 95% CI = 1.55-5.56). Non-field and field police officers, on the other hand, had significantly reduced odds of disability retirement compared with admin/supportive staff (OR = 0.43 and 0.28 with 95% CI = 0.19-0.96 and 0.13-0.61 respectively). Odds ratios of disability retirement at end of the exposure period for the matching variables with those obtained after additionally adjusting for all demographic variables (model b), namely, marital status, occupation, employment grade and type, and educational level. The odds ratios of disability retirement remained significantly raised for the total number of days of sickness absence and for the number of spells of sickness absence for all spell types. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendation to reduce the number of future disability retirements among Abu Dhabi Police include structured problem-solving process addressed through stepwise meetings between the line-managers and the employee.

Exploring the Reciprocal Relationships between Happiness and Life Satisfaction of Working Adults-Evidence from Abu Dhabi.

This paper examines the relationships between a range of well-being factors and two commonly used subjective well-being measures-happiness and life satisfaction. Data from the second cycle of the Quality of Life (QoL) Survey in Abu Dhabi were used, which included 32,087 working adults. The well-being factors included in the analysis covered various aspects of life themes: income and jobs, work-home balance, health and physical activities, social and community services, living environment, and family/friends' relationships and connections. Using standardized data, path analysis yielded an optimal path model that suggested the presence of a reciprocal relationship between happiness and life satisfaction. In addition, the final model suggested that four variables-job satisfaction, mental health, satisfaction with relationships with people, and the size of the social support network-had direct effects on happiness and life satisfaction. The model also identified three variables-satisfaction with family life, mental health, and job satisfaction-to have the most significant effect on happiness.

Experiencing the Unprecedented COVID-19 Lockdown: Abu Dhabi Older Adults' Challenges and Concerns.

This study focused on older adults (60+ years old) of both genders in Abu Dhabi during the COVID-19 pandemic before vaccines were made available (age ranged from 60 years to 75 years). They faced more strict rules of movement restriction and isolation that might have resulted in certain psychological feelings and social reactions. The main objective was to understand Abu Dhabi older adults' psychological feelings during the pandemic and to identify their main concerns and challenges considering the various COVID-19-related policies and restrictions. The psychological feelings focused on fear, loneliness, sadness, irritability, emotional exhaustion, depressive symptoms, sleeping disorders, overeating, and excessive screen use. The objectives also included the changes in the psychological feelings concerning time. Other objectives covered better understanding the differences in (some activities) compared to the other age categories. Data were gathered through an online survey of community members from February to July 2020 as part of government initiatives (Department of Community Development). Responses were collected from 574 older adults in Abu Dhabi (60.1% male and 39.9% female). The analysis mainly used descriptive analysis, t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and simple trend analysis. For all tests, a p-value less than 0.05 was used for significance. The results pointed to the significant rise in feelings related to excessive screen use, fear, loneliness, and stress. The most significant concerns were related to more restrictions being imposed and not being able to see the grandchildren.The impact of new technologies on their quality of life was significantly reflected by respondents. The influence of the pandemic on older adults' health and weight was also investigated. Analysis of variance, t-tests, and regression analysis with relevant tests were employed. The relevant results showed that some negative psychological feelings were common among older adults during the pandemic. However, the psychological feelings did not portray significant changes with time, except for sleeping disorders and overeating. Overall, older adults scored significantly different from other age groups on many challenges, concerns, and views regarding new technologies during the pandemic. No significant differences were observed regarding gender and marital status for the challenges and concerns. The research summarizes some policy guidance while noting some limitations of this study and future research directions.

Dataset for the physio-chemical parameters of groundwater in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE.

This dataset considers the statistical evaluation of groundwater quality for irrigation purposes in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE. The evaluation is based on calculating Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI), Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Sodium Percentage (%Na), and Permeability Index (PI). The article represents raw data and statistical analysis for 145 groundwater well samples which took place from January until April 2018, where each sample was analyzed for the following main physio-chemical parameters including pH, EC, HCO3 -, TDS, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, and Cl-. The outcomes of the IWQI showed that 52% of the samples were categorized under severe irrigation restrictions, where groundwater can be used for irrigation of high salt tolerance crops only. While, 44% of the investigated sites located within the high restriction category, 3% within moderate restriction, and 1% within the low irrigation restriction category. Moreover, the data has been used to find other irrigation water quality indices such as Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Sodium Ratio (%Na), and Permeability Index (PI). These indices provided a guidance for evaluating the problems that might be developed in soil due to current irrigation practices in the study area. Furthermore, statistical analysis provided a deeper understanding of the relationship and data trends among the different physio-chemical parameters and water quality indices.

Hierarchical Regression of Wellbeing and Self-Rated Health among Older Adults in Abu Dhabi.

This study investigates the wellbeing factors related to self-rated health for older adults in Abu Dhabi (≥55 years). The purpose is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the determinants of self-rated health, considering various wellbeing factors, controlling for factors such as gender, nationality and long-standing illness if present. This research drew from a sample of 2375 older adults who participated in the Abu Dhabi Quality-of-Life Survey (QoL) conducted in 2018. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was employed where the first two models corresponded to gender, nationality and having a long-standing illness or not. The third model focused on the wellbeing factors of Abu Dhabi citizens (i.e., social networks and connection, income and housing, sports and activities, mental feelings). The analysis revealed the insignificance of gender and nationality as controlled variables while having a long-standing illness showed significant adverse effects. The most significant variables were social support networks, family and social arrangements and connections. Other variables of significance included housing satisfaction, household income satisfaction, frequency of practicing sports, current mental status and life satisfaction. Policymakers could use the outcomes as insider intelligence for policymakers and social work professionals to create policies, programs and services to enhance the lives of older people in Abu Dhabi.

Contamination Assessment of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soil, in the Liwa Area (UAE).

The Liwa area is a primary food production area in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and has intensively been used for agriculture. This study investigates the pollution levels with heavy metals in agricultural soils from the Liwa area. Thirty-two soil samples were analyzed for Mn, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Cd, Co, and As. Results revealed that heavy metal levels varied in the ranges 220.02-311.21, 42.39-66.92, 43.43-71.55, 32.86-52.12, 10.29-21.70, 2.83-8.84, 0.46-0.69, 0.03-0.37 mg/kg for Mn, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Cd, Co, and As, respectively. All samples presented low As concentrations with an average of 0.01 mg/kg. The variations in bulk metal contents in the soil samples were related to multiple sources, including agrochemicals, atmospheric dust containing heavy metals, and traffic-related metals. Enrichment factor analysis indicates that Cd, Ni, Zn, and Cr were highly enriched in soils, and they could originate from non-crustal sources. Based on the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the soil samples appeared uncontaminated with Mn, Cr, Zn, Pb, Co, As, Cu, uncontaminated to moderately contaminated with Ni and moderately contaminated with Cd. The contamination factors suggest low contamination, except for Ni, which showed moderate contamination. The average pollution load index (PLI) revealed unpolluted to low pollution of all soil samples. The ecological risk assessment (PERI) showed that all heavy metals posed a low risk, except for Cd which exhibited a high ecological risk.

Four-year survey of medically serious suicide attempters in Abu Dhabi.

BACKGROUND: It is well established that attempting suicide significantly increases a person's risk of completing suicide. The risk is considered to be particularly high in the first year after the attempt. Epidemiological information on suicide is scarce in the Middle East and the countries of the GCC region and there is a need to establish a reference point to measure future changes. AIMS: We examined the epidemiology of suicide attempters requiring inpatient care in Abu Dhabi to identify associated factors that could aid local suicide prevention strategies. METHODS: This 4-year (2011-2014) study of suicide attempters in the city of Abu Dhabi included all attempters assessed by the consultation-liaison team and admitted to the 3 main governmental general hospitals. RESULTS: We identified 364 suicide attempts with an annual incidence of 6 per 100 000 population. The mean age was 28.7 years. Females comprised 59.6% of the attempters and were more likely to be below age 30 years. Around 40% of the psychiatric diagnoses among attempters were related to stress and 17.9% to depression. Overdosing was the chosen method in 50.6% of the attempters, with 32.7% overdosing on paracetamol and females being more likely to use this method. Just over 13% of the attempters had made one previous attempt and 2.2% had made more than one. CONCLUSION: Females younger than 30 years were at higher risk of attempting suicide, with overdosing on paracetamol as the preferred method. Stress-related diagnoses were predominant in the attempters.

Direct and Indirect Costs of Asthma Burden in Abu Dhabi: A Retrospective Analysis of Insurance Claims Data from 2015 to 2018.

PURPOSE: Asthma causes a high economic burden on the health-care system. Previous research on the cost of asthma in Abu Dhabi was in 2011 and revealed high medical costs. This work aimed to estimate both direct and indirect costs of asthma with trend analysis over a period of four years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All data on medical costs, work absenteeism, and mortality were collected from the e-claims system of the national health insurance database. Medical costs included medication use, emergency room (ER) visits, non-ER visits, outpatient care, and hospitalization from 2015 to 2018. Indirect costs in terms of work absenteeism were calculated by multiplying the average daily income per employer by the number of workdays missed due to sick leaves documented in the database in 2019. RESULTS: Over the years, the total medical costs increased from AED 161,843,698 in 2015 to AED 206,548,620 in 2018. The largest contribution was attributed to outpatient care, while hospitalization accounted for the smallest proportion of the total costs in 2018. Likewise, the mean annual per-patient cost in 2015 was AED 1119 and increased to AED 1162 in 2018. Indirect costs were estimated to be AED 27,482,319 resulting from 30,948 sick leaves in the year 2019 only. CONCLUSION: Asthma is a cause for huge expenditure from the health-care system perspective in Abu Dhabi. It also has a large impact on society through work absenteeism. Costs of asthma management are increasing every year, which suggests a call-to-action to improve the disease management status using cost-effective strategies.

Understanding the Interactions of Happiness, Self-Rated Health, Mental Feelings, Habit of Eating Healthy and Sport/Activities: A Path Model for Abu Dhabi.

Understanding the interactions between happiness, self-perception of health, healthy eating behaviors, physical activities, and psychological feelings or symptoms of mental health provides necessary inputs for social policymaking. Using data from the second cycle of the Abu Dhabi Quality of Life survey, this study examined a path analysis of Abu Dhabi residents' nature of assimilations between these variables. The results point to the significant association between happiness and self-rated health. In addition, the results portray significant direct paths to happiness from three mental feeling variables-"feeling calm and peaceful", "having lots of energy", and "feeling downhearted and depressed". The variable of "often feeling rushed or pressed for time" shows a direct path to self-rated health only. Eating healthy food is significantly associated with both happiness and self-perception of health. In addition, "often doing physical activities" positively influences happiness. The present study enhances and refines policymakers' understanding of the considered factors on happiness and self-rated health with further elaborations of the mediating roles of specific well-being determinants. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.