Results from the United Arab Emirates 2022 report card on physical activity for children and adolescents.

Objective: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) 2022 Report Card provides a systematic evaluation of the physical activity (PA) levels of children and adolescents in the UAE. Methods: The 2022 Report Card utilized data from 2017 to 2021 to inform 10 core PA indicators that were common to the Global Matrix 4.0. Results: One in five (19%) UAE school children achieved the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous PA (i.e. ≥60 min/d; Total Physical Activity Grade F). Less than 1% of school children used active transport to and from school (Active Transportation Grade F). One in four (26%) secondary school children achieved the recreational screen time recommendations (i.e. ≤2 h/d; Sedentary Behaviours Grade D-). A quarter of adults reported achieving the recommended PA level (i.e. ≥150 min of moderate-intensity PA per week, or equivalent) (Family and Peers Grade D-). All school children are taught physical education (PE) by a specialist with at least a bachelor's degree in PE; however, the duration of weekly PE classes varied between schools (School Grade A-). The UAE Government has invested significant funds and resources into developing and implementing strategies and facilities that will increase PA across the entire population (Government Grade B+). Organised Sport and Physical Activity, Active Play, Physical Fitness, and Community and Environment indicators were graded 'Incomplete' (INC) due to a lack of available data. Conclusions: Overall, PA levels remain low and sedentary behaviours remain high amongst UAE children and adolescents. The UAE Government has sustained investment in further developing PA opportunities for all children and adults which should translate to increased PA and health improvements at a population level.

Prevalence and Sociodemographic Profiles of Grand Multipara in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The literature shows that grand multipara mothers are major contributors to poor maternal and perinatal health compared to multipara mothers. Data regarding parity profiles are essential, especially in rapidly transforming countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with multipara mothers compared to multipara mothers in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The data were collected from seven health care centers located in Abu Dhabi.From1818 enrolled mothers, the prevalence of grand multipara was 135(7.4%, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 7.2, 7.6). In logistic regression analysis, factors associated positively with grand multipara were a higher maternal age (Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR) = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.21, 1.34), Arab mothers (AOR = 5.66, 95% CI 2.81, 11.40), overweight pre-pregnancy (AOR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.26, 3.21), and limited family support for breastfeeding (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.21, 3.50). The prevalence of grand multipara was low compared to previous researching the UAE. Sociodemographic factors were more prominent and associated with grand multipara mothers compared to obstetrical ones. Therefore, more programs (nutritional, physical activities, and psychosocial) are needed to improve maternal and perinatal health to support grand multipara mothers. Further, research is required to explore the difference in parity based on nationalities, especially from a sociocultural point of view.

Determinants of Delayed Initiation of Breastfeeding: A Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

One of the best practices to reduce the risk of infant morbidity and mortality is the early initiation of breastfeeding, specifically within the first hour of birth, as the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends. Limited data exist on breastfeeding initiation and its related factors in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Therefore, the purpose of this research study was to evaluate and analyze the determinant factors associated with delayed initiation of breastfeeding among mothers with children aged <2 years old in a cross-sectional multicenter setting in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Seven governmental community and healthcare centers participated in the study from diverse geographic areas of Abu Dhabi. A trained female research assistant collected information from mothers with young children attending the centers. All participants were informed in detail about the purpose of the study and signed a written consent form. A total of 1610 mother−child pairs were included in the study. The mean (standard deviation) of maternal age and children's age was 30.1 (5.1) years and 8.1 (5.9) months, respectively. Six hundred and four (604) (37.5%) reported delayed initiation of breastfeeding. Factors associated with delayed breastfeeding initiation were being of non-Arab nationality (adjusted odds ratio (A.O.R.) 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03, 1.63), caesarean section (AOR 2.85, 95% CI 2.26, 3.58), non-rooming-in (AOR 2.82, 95% CI 1.53, 5.21), first birth order (AOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.07, 1.69), and mothers with low-birth-weight children (AOR 3.30, 95% CI 2.18, 4.99) as was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. In conclusion, approximately four out of ten mothers delayed initiation of breastfeeding for more than one hour after delivery. The results of this study call for urgent policy changes to improve the early initiation rates of breastfeeding mothers in the U.A.E.

Paternal asthma is a predictor for childhood asthma in the consanguineous families from the United Arab Emirates.

Consanguinity is known to increase the burden of genetic disorders among offspring. However, the effect of consanguinity on a complex disorder like childhood asthma has not been studied previously. Therefore, we explored this relationship by studying the asthma prevalence in children between 6 and 14 years of age among the local Arab families of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where consanguinity is known to be highly prevalent. A total of 1136 children from 295 families met our inclusion criteria. The prevalence of childhood asthma was higher among children in consanguineous families (43.3%) compared to non-consanguineous (22.6%, p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between the degree of consanguinity and the number of asthmatic children per family (p = 0.0002). Girls from consanguineous families had proportionately more asthma (42.9%, p < 0.001) compared to boys (23.1%, p = 0.539). Paternal asthma in consanguineous families increased asthma risk for both boys and girls (p = 0.021 for boys, p < 0.001 for girls), while maternal asthma had no significant impact on asthma in offspring. Prevalence of childhood asthma was significantly higher in consanguineous families. The significant asthma predictors for girls from the consanguineous families were the degree of consanguinity and paternal asthma. The only predictor for boys was paternal asthma. These interesting observations merit further studies on both larger samples and in other consanguineous communities for confirmation.

Integrating Public Health and Health Promotion Practice in the Medical Curriculum: A Self-Directed Team-Based Project Approach.

Preparing health professionals in health promotion (HP) and disease prevention is essential for improvement of population health, community HP, and better health care for individuals. The aim of this article is to describe an HP project in the form of a major self-directed project-based learning task integrated within the curriculum in the second year of the medical degree program at United Arab Emirates University. The project introduces students to public health and HP practice and develops students' literature searching, writing, presentation skills, and team work. Students learn the principles underlying behavioral change, and the design of HP programs and materials, through a lecture format. Small groups of students each choose a specific health topic for their project. Over 11 weeks, students obtain information about their topic from appropriate sources (library, PubMed, Google Scholar, credible health sources such as World Health Organization). Using the principles learned in the lectures, they develop appropriate materials for their target audience: for example, posters, a pamphlet, social media content, or a video or radio message. Students seek advice from specialist faculty as needed. In week 12, each team presents their project background, rationale, and materials to their colleagues in a seminar format open to all faculty. They then submit the materials they developed for assessment. Group marks are assigned for presentations and materials. Key concepts are assessed by multiple choice questions in comprehensive course examinations. By participation in the HP project, many students develop a solid background in prevention. The information retrieval, writing, and presentation skills, as well as experience of team work, are valuable both for the remaining years of their training and their future careers.

Physician user satisfaction with an electronic medical records system in primary healthcare centres in Al Ain: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore physician satisfaction with an electronic medical records (EMR) system, to identify and explore the main limitations of the system and finally to submit recommendations to address these limitations. DESIGN: A descriptive qualitative study that entailed three focus group interviews was performed among physicians using open-ended questions. The interviews were audiotaped, documented and transcribed verbatim. The themes were explored and analysed in different categories. SETTING: The study was conducted in primary healthcare centres (PHC) in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE). PARTICIPANTS: A total of 23 physicians, all using the same EMR system, attended one of three focus groups held in PHC in Al Ain Medical District. Each focus group consisted of 7-9 physicians working in PHC as family medicine specialists, residents or general practitioners. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Physician satisfaction with the EMR system. RESULTS: Key themes emerged and were categorised as physician-dependent, patient-related and system-related factors. In general, physicians were satisfied with the EMR system in spite of initial difficulties with implementation. Most participants identified that the long time required to do the documentation affected their practice and patient communication. Many physicians expressed satisfaction with the orders and results of laboratory and radiology functions and they emphasised that this was the strongest point in the EMR. They were also satisfied with the electronic prescription function, stating that it reduced errors and saved time. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians are satisfied with the EMR and have a positive perception regarding the application of the system. Several themes emerged during this study that need to be considered to enhance the EMR system. Further studies need to be conducted among other healthcare practitioners and patients to explore their attitude and perception about the EMR.