High proportion of 6 to 18-year-old children and adolescents in the United Arab Emirates are not meeting dietary recommendations.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), overweight, obesity, and associated chronic diseases have recently emerged as major public health concerns among all age groups, including children and adolescents. We hypothesized that although energy needs might be met by the majority of Emirati children and adolescents, their diet quality and intakes of certain micronutrients may not meet recommendations. A cross-sectional design was used to assess dietary intakes of 253 children (6-10 years of age) and 276 adolescents (11-18 years of age) in the UAE. Trained dietitians collected a 24-hour food recall in the homes of the participants. Nutrient intakes were compared with the Dietary Reference Intakes, and food group consumption was compared with MyPyramid recommendations. Results showed that 9 to 13-year-old females consumed 206 kcal/d from candy and sweets and nearly 264 cal/d from sugar-sweetened beverages. The proportion of participants with percentage energy from saturated fat greater than the recommendation ranged from 27.6% (males 9-13 years) to 45.9% (males 6-8 years). Mean intakes of vitamins A, D, and E were lower than the Estimated Average Requirements for all the subgroups. Mean calcium intake was lower than recommendations for all age and sex subgroups. The proportions of participants whose intakes were less than the recommended number of servings from the food groups were substantial: more than 90% of each of the 6 subgroups for the milk group and 100% among 9 to 18-year-old males for vegetables. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate the need for interventions targeting 6 to 18-year-old children and adolescents in the UAE to improve their diet quality.

Effectiveness of and Adherence to Dietary and Lifestyle Counselling: Effect on metabolic control in type 2 diabetic Omani patients.

OBJECTIVES: The Nutritional Advice Protocol, established by the Department of Health to combat diabetes, has been implemented in primary health care throughout Oman since 2003. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of dietary and lifestyle advice and determine the perception and attitudes of Omani adults with type 2 diabetes to diabetes management. METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was conducted on 98 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in Al-Buraimi Governorate, Oman. Metabolic parameters, dietary intake and exercise levels were evaluated in 2005 and re-evaluated in 2008. RESULTS: A total of 43% of the patients (male = 16, female = 27) had received no formal education. A significant reduction in fasting glucose and enhanced high density lipoprotein cholesterol were achieved in both male and female patients. However, in men, no changes were noted, other than in anthropometric and metabolic measurements and macronutrient intake. Conversely, women's macronutrient intakes reduced significantly leading to considerable improvement in body weight, body mass index, blood glucose and total cholesterol levels. Eleven patients (11.6%) admitted that they did not adhere at all to the diet advised by the dietician; 63.2% (n = 62) reported they followed their diet sometimes, and 25.2% (n = 25) stated they strictly followed the diet. CONCLUSION: Counselling largely illiterate diabetic patients about the impact of food, nutrition and exercise on diabetes shifted the patients from "Poor" to "Good" control in terms of metabolic outcome (glycosylated haemoglobin, fasting glucose and total cholesterol). This minor improvement could be further enhanced by more health education.