Assessing global risk factors for non-fatal injuries from road traffic accidents and falls in adults aged 35-70†years in 17 countries: a cross-sectional analysis of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess risk factors associated with non-fatal injuries (NFIs) from road traffic accidents (RTAs) or falls. METHODS: Our study included 151 609 participants from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological study. Participants reported whether they experienced injuries within the past 12 months that limited normal activities. Additional questions elicited data on risk factors. We employed multivariable logistic regression to analyse data. RESULTS: Overall, 5979 participants (3.9% of 151 609) reported at least one NFI. Total number of NFIs was 6300: 1428 were caused by RTAs (22.7%), 1948 by falls (30.9%) and 2924 by other causes (46.4%). Married/common law status was associated with fewer falls, but not with RTA. Age 65-70 years was associated with fewer RTAs, but more falls; age 55-64 years was associated with more falls. Male versus female was associated with more RTAs and fewer falls. In lower-middle-income countries, rural residence was associated with more RTAs and falls; in low-income countries, rural residence was associated with fewer RTAs. Previous alcohol use was associated with more RTAs and falls; current alcohol use was associated with more falls. Education was not associated with either NFI type. CONCLUSIONS: This study of persons aged 35-70 years found that some risk factors for NFI differ according to whether the injury is related to RTA or falls. Policymakers may use these differences to guide the design of prevention policies for RTA-related or fall-related NFI.

Perception and utilization of family medicine services among Abu Dhabi Island's community.

Background: Following the World Health Organization statement 'Health for all', family medicine is a specialty that provides continuing, comprehensive healthcare to individuals and their families. Despite that, it is still not yet utilized to its full potential by the developing Middle-Eastern community. The aim of our study is to assess the perception and utilization of family medicine services among Abu Dhabi Island's community. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted targeting Abu Dhabi Island's community. A representative sample with 95% confidence level and 5% margin of error was calculated taking into consideration the latest report by the Abu Dhabi Statistics Center. A total of 395 adult participants were included in the study, who were asked to fill in an electronic-based validated questionnaire. SPSS software was then used for data analysis. Results: Majority of participants were UAE nationals (81%) and married (71.1%), with almost equal male (50.4%) to female ratio (49.6%). Participants had positive experiences in primary healthcare (PHC) overall, regardless of their gender, nationality and marital status. Positive experience percentages dropped with higher age and educational level (P-value <0.05). A better understanding was noticed among ≥50 years of age with the rightful destination for emergency symptoms (P-value <0.05). Participants overall agreed on PHC being the preferred allocation for treatment of fever, body aches and sore throat. Conclusion: Primary healthcare centres were chosen as preferred destinations for emergency and non-emergency cases, as the vast majority had positive experiences when attending them.

Prevalence of a healthy lifestyle among individuals with cardiovascular disease in high-, middle- and low-income countries: The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study.

IMPORTANCE: Little is known about adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors among individuals with a coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke event in communities across a range of countries worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of avoidance or cessation of smoking, eating a healthy diet, and undertaking regular physical activities by individuals with a CHD or stroke event. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) was a large, prospective cohort study that used an epidemiological survey of 153,996 adults, aged 35 to 70 years, from 628 urban and rural communities in 3 high-income countries (HIC), 7 upper-middle-income countries (UMIC), 3 lower-middle-income countries (LMIC), and 4 low-income countries (LIC), who were enrolled between January 2003 and December 2009. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Smoking status (current, former, never), level of exercise (low, <600 metabolic equivalent task [MET]-min/wk; moderate, 600-3000 MET-min/wk; high, >3000 MET-min/wk), and diet (classified by the Food Frequency Questionnaire and defined using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index). RESULTS: Among 7519 individuals with self-reported CHD (past event: median, 5.0 [interquartile range {IQR}, 2.0-10.0] years ago) or stroke (past event: median, 4.0 [IQR, 2.0-8.0] years ago), 18.5% (95% CI, 17.6%-19.4%) continued to smoke; only 35.1% (95% CI, 29.6%-41.0%) undertook high levels of work- or leisure-related physical activity, and 39.0% (95% CI, 30.0%-48.7%) had healthy diets; 14.3% (95% CI, 11.7%-17.3%) did not undertake any of the 3 healthy lifestyle behaviors and 4.3% (95% CI, 3.1%-5.8%) had all 3. Overall, 52.5% (95% CI, 50.7%-54.3%) quit smoking (by income country classification: 74.9% [95% CI, 71.1%-78.6%] in HIC; 56.5% [95% CI, 53.4%-58.6%] in UMIC; 42.6% [95% CI, 39.6%-45.6%] in LMIC; and 38.1% [95% CI, 33.1%-43.2%] in LIC). Levels of physical activity increased with increasing country income but this trend was not statistically significant. The lowest prevalence of eating healthy diets was in LIC (25.8%; 95% CI, 13.0%-44.8%) compared with LMIC (43.2%; 95% CI, 30.0%-57.4%), UMIC (45.1%, 95% CI, 30.9%-60.1%), and HIC (43.4%, 95% CI, 21.0%-68.7%). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Among a sample of patients with a CHD or stroke event from countries with varying income levels, the prevalence of healthy lifestyle behaviors was low, with even lower levels in poorer countries.

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.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Residents' Well-Being in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Background: During the Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, medical residents were deployed to help with managing patients in a wide range of settings. Unlike other COVID-19-related topics, the psychological impact of the pandemic on medical residents has received little attention. Objective: This study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical residents' well-being, depression, and stress levels. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. A total of 597 medical residents were identified and with the aim of a sample size of 300 participants; 242 responses were collected during the period between November 2020 to February 2021. Data were collected through an online survey utilizing Patient Health Questionnaire and Perceived Stress Scale. SPSS software was used for data analysis. Results: Most of the residents in our study were females (73.6%) and single (60.7%). Around 66.5% were depressed, 87.2% were under low-moderate stress, and 12.8% were under high stress. Majority (73.5%) of the single residents were depressed (P = 0.016). Being male has been found to lower the risk of developing depression (P = 0.042). The need to relocate for family protection increased the risk of developing depression (P = 0.022).Residents who were living with their friends/roommates were found to be under a high level of stress (P = 0.001). Surgical specialties' residents were found to be the most under high stress (P = 0.044). Conclusion: Female gender, single status, and changing housing were risk factors for depression. Conversely, living with friends/roommates and working in surgical specialties were contributing to high-stress levels.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of breastfeeding among women visiting primary healthcare clinics on the island of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond. This study assessed breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices among women residing on the island of Abu Dhabi and identified associated factors. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire among mothers visiting primary healthcare clinics in Abu Dhabi between November 2014 and 2015. Participants were women aged at least 18 years who had at least one child aged 2 years or younger at the time of the study. Breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices were assessed on the basis of experience with last child. Selected questions were used to develop a scaled scoring system to categorize these aspects as good, fair, or poor. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as the act of feeding infants only breast milk since birth, without providing water, formula, or other liquid supplements. RESULTS: The participants were 344 women. Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was reported by only 46 (16.9%, 95% CI 0.10, 0.17, n = 272). 79 (28.7%, n = 275) of the participants were breastfeeding and planning to continue after the child was ≥24 months. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the following factors were associated with exclusive breastfeeding: mothers with female children (adjusted OR [AOR] 2.42; 95% CI 1.18, 4.97) and better breastfeeding knowledge scores (AOR 1.25; 95% CI 1.04, 1.50). The following factors were associated with less likelihood of exclusively breastfeeding: working mothers (AOR 0.29; 95% CI 0.12, 0.72), living with relatives (AOR 0.21; 95% CI 0.05, 0.81), no past exclusive breastfeeding experience (AOR 0.23; 95% CI 0.09, 0.58) and being offered readymade liquid formula in hospital (AOR 0.33; 95% CI 0.15, 0.72). The most common reason for stopping breastfeeding was insufficient breast milk production (68/89, 76%), and the most common work related reason was inadequate maternity leave (24/89, 15%). CONCLUSION: Although breastfeeding knowledge was generally good, breastfeeding practice was still suboptimal. Modifiable factors found to predict exclusive breastfeeding included breastfeeding knowledge and mothers' employment status.

The Prevalence and the Determinants of Musculoskeletal Diseases in Emiratis Attending Primary Health Care Clinics in Dubai.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in the Emiratis attending primary health care (PHC) clinics in Dubai. The secondary objective was to study the relationship between age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) and rheumatic diseases in the general population. . METHODS: The Prevalence of Rheumatic Diseases and Osteoporosis (PRO) in Dubai study was a cross-sectional study, which randomly enrolled Emiratis' aged between 18-85 years old who attended one of 13 PHC clinics between 2 January 2009 and 31 December 2009. Demographic and health data for all participants was obtained via a questionnaire. Participants that indicated positive answers had their responses validated by a rheumatologist and underwent a thorough locomotor examination. . RESULTS: The study included 3,985 participants with a mean age of 42.1±15.8 years. The majority (77.4%) were female. Lower back pain was the most prevalent problem in our study population (32.9%). Knee osteoarthritis (OA) was the most common form of arthritis seen in our cohort (25.8%). Overall, the prevalence of inflammatory arthritis was 3.1%. Age and BMI were associated with increased risk of knee OA and lower back pain. . CONCLUSIONS: Rheumatic diseases are quite common in Emirati patients attending PHC clinics. Lower back pain and knee OA were the most common musculoskeletal diseases seen in our cohort. There is a need for more population-based studies in the Middle East to have a better understanding of the epidemiology of rheumatic diseases in this region.