Prevalence of overweight/obesity, anaemia and their associations among female university students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: A cross-sectional study

© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society. The present study assessed the associations of overweight, obesity and anaemia with selected lifestyle factors, total body fat and abdominal obesity among female university students in Dubai. A total of 251 female students from a national university in Dubai participated in the present study. Weight, height, waist circumference, Hb level and total body fat percentage were measured. Participants also completed a self-reported questionnaire that included items related to the factors of obesity, anaemia and lifestyle. The study was approved by the University Ethical Committee. Almost one-third of the participants were overweight/obese; 8·5 % had abdominal obesity while 18·1 % had anaemia. Out of the total, 71·7 % reported that they have irregular meals and the highest percentages were found among obese (89·3 %) and overweight (78·0 %) compared with normal-weight (65·4 %) students (P \u3c 0·05). Overweight/obese students reported that they exercise more than those of normal weight (P = 0·05). Students with anaemia reported less exercise than students without anaemia (P = 0·05). Also, the percentage of total body fat was found to be the highest (38·9 %) among students with anaemia (P \u3c 0·05). Overweight, obesity and anaemia are prevalent among female university students. Anaemia seems to be associated with the percentage of total body fat, lack of physical activity and junk food. Further studies are required to investigate the detailed dietary habits of overweight and obese young adult females with anaemia

Lifestyle modification in long-term management of Chronic diseases

Nowadays, unfortunately, obesity has been viewed as a cosmetic issue rather than a chronic disease; furthermore, health insurance systems do not include the costs of obesity treatment except if it is associated with a chronic disease such as hypertension and diabetes [1]. Obesity could be defined as an excess amount of energy intake and fat storage through overnutrition and adopting sedentary lifestyle [2, 3]. It can be caused by a combination of several factors including cultural and environmental factors, such as elevated energy diet, low levels of physical activity, eating disorders, and increased portion size. These factors can cause a fundamental change in the structure of adipose tissue leading to “hypertrophy and hyperplasia of adipocytes, inflammation” as well as it causes a change in the secretion of adipokines, which is a biologically active protein that can cause severe impact on the metabolism of glucose and lipids [3, 4]. A study found in UAE indicated that factors that may attribute to low levels of activities are mainly due to the hot climate that can reach up to 45° C in the summer, in addition to the cultural norms that can restrict female outdoor physical activities [5]

Disordered Eating Attitudes and Exercise Behavior among Female Emirati College Students in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross- Sectional Study

Background: Growing evidence is showing high levels of physical inactivity and disordered eating attitudes among young females in the United Arab Emirates. This is clearly concerning, but little is known about the activity level of those with disordered eating attitudes and their dieting behavior. This study examines the female Emirati college students\u27 disordered eating attitudes and its relation to exercise behavior. Method: A cross- sectional study using a validated and reliable questionnaire was conducted on 242 Emirati female students attending a public university in Dubai. Eating Attitudes Test- 26 (EAT26) was used to measure eating attitudes and the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was included to measure physical activity level. A systematic random sampling from a list of classes in the fall 2014 semester was used for recruitment. The university\u27s Research Ethics Committee approved the study and consents were obtained from participants. SPSS v.21 was used for data analysis. Chi-square test was used to compare frequencies. Significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The participants\u27 mean age and standard deviation (Mean± SD) was 19 ±1.3 years. 31.4% of the participants showed disordered eating attitudes. The percentage of participants engaged in at least one concerning behavior in the past six months was 43.8%. A membership in a health club was significantly related to disordered eating attitudes ( p \u3c0.01). A high level of physical activity was correlated with laxative use, over the counter supplements, and exercising for more than 60 minutes to control weight ( p\u3c0.05 ). Conclusion: There is a great need for intervention programs and policies to contain the level of abnormal eating attitudes and promote healthy level of physical activity among college students

Knowledge and Beliefs Related to Cervical Cancer, Pap Smear Screening and HPV Vaccination among Women in Umm Al Qawain

Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Umm Al Qawain (UAQ) hospital. The study was piloted before the real study on 10 women who visited the Dermatology Clinic, UAQ hospital. Cronbach\u27s alpha was used to test the level of internal consistency, determined at more than 80%. Questionnaires were distributed to 80 women who visited the outpatient gynecology clinic in the period (22-31December 2013). In total, 53 women participated in the study, with a response rate of 66%. Women were asked several questions that assess their knowledge about cervical cancer and its risk factors. They were also asked about their beliefs regarding Pap smear screening and HPV vaccination. Analyses of data were done using SPSS version 20. Ch2 tests were used to compare differences at 0.05 alpha level.Findings: The level of knowledge on cervical cancer was for the most part poor (58.5%). Only 4 women (7.5%) were assessed to have a “good” level of knowledge, whereas 18 of them were assessed to have “fair” level of knowledge (34%). Age, marital status and occupation were not associated with the level of cervical cancer knowledge among the women participating, whereas the level of education was found to be significant (p\u3c0.05). In addition, positive beliefs toward cervical cancer, Pap smear screening, and HPV vaccination were noted.Conclusion: The knowledge of cervical cancer pertaining to Pap smear screening and HPV vaccination is inadequate. However, women in the UAQ have a positive attitude towards cervical cancer, Pap smear screening, and HPV vaccination. It is recommended that the Ministry of Health direct more substantial awareness programs toward women to improve their level of information about cervical cancer, Pap smear screening and HPV vaccination

Disordered Eating Attitudes and Exercise Behavior among Female Emirati College Students in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross- Sectional Study

Background: Growing evidence is showing high levels of physical inactivity and disordered eating attitudes among young females in the United Arab Emirates. This is clearly concerning, but little is known about the activity level of those with disordered eating attitudes and their dieting behavior. This study examines the female Emirati college students’ disordered eating attitudes and its relation to exercise behavior.Method: A cross- sectional study using a validated and reliable questionnaire was conducted on 242 Emirati female students attending a public university in Dubai. Eating Attitudes Test- 26 (EAT26) was used to measure eating attitudes and the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was included to measure physical activity level. A systematic random sampling from a list of classes in the fall 2014 semester was used for recruitment. The university’s Research Ethics Committee approved the study and consents were obtained from participants. SPSS v.21 was used for data analysis. Chi-square test was used to compare frequencies. Significance level was set at 0.05.Results: The participants’ mean age and standard deviation (Mean± SD) was 19 ±1.3 years. 31.4% of the participants showed disordered eating attitudes. The percentage of participants engaged in at least one concerning behavior in the past six months was 43.8%. A membership in a health club was significantly related to disordered eating attitudes (p <0.01). A high level of physical activity was correlated with laxative use, over the counter supplements, and exercising for more than 60 minutes to control weight (p<0.05). Conclusion: There is a great need for intervention programs and policies to contain the level of abnormal eating attitudes and promote healthy level of physical activity among college students

Prevalence of overweight and obesity and their associations with dietary habits among students from a major university in Palestine: A cross-sectional study

Overweight and obesity are major public health problems and the most common nutri-tional disorders. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising at an alarming rate in both developing and developed countries. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity and their associations with dietary habits among students from a major university in Palestine. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 304 Students (50% males and 50% females). Students were asked to fill in a standard questionnaire. Weight, height, and waist circumference were measured and hemoglobin level was tested. Statistical analysis was con-ducted using SPSS version 15.0. The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among stu-dents were 20.1% and 4.6%, respectively, (P\u3c 0.05). Overweight and obesity were more common among males compared to females (27.0% and 5.9% vs. 13.2% and 3.3%, respec-tively), (P\u3c 0.05). The prevalence of abdominal obesity among students was 17.8% and was more common among females (23.0%) compared to males (12.5%), (P\u3c 0.05). The preva-lence of anemia was 13.8%. Anemia was more common among females (18.4%) than males (9.2%), (P\u3c 0.05). 5.3% of males were underweight compared to 4.6% of female, (P\u3c 0.05). 68.4% of students reported that they take meals irregularly and a significant difference was found between males and females in meal patterns, (P\u3c 0.05). Also, there were significant differences between males and females in physical activity (69.1% of males and 55.9% of females practiced sports), and smoking (51.3% of males and 91.4% of females never smoked, while 48.7% of males and 8.6% of females were current smokers), (P\u3c 0.05). Uni-versity students would benefit from nutritional and health promotion programs to reduce the tendency of overweight and obesity. Educational programs are needed to encourage the con-sumption of fruits and vegetables to improve students\u27 eating habits

Prevalence of Bullying Behaviors Among Students From a National University in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aims to investigate bullying behaviors among college students at one of the national universities in UAE, and also to examine the psychological characteristics of those who were exposed to, or have experienced bullying. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 839 undergraduate students at one of the national universities in the UAE. Students from all colleges participated in this study and were selected by using stratified random sampling. Participants completed a bullying survey designed for the study, in addition to three psychological measures [i.e., Aggression Questionnaire, Buss and Perry, 1992; The Primary Care Anxiety and Depression, El-Rufaie et al., 1997; and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (PCL-5), Weathers et al., 2013]. The prevalence rate of students being exposed to or engaged in bullying was 26.3% (221 out of 839). Of those, 72 students (8.7%) reported being bullied, 29 (3.6%) reported bullying others, and 185 (22.8%) reported witnessing friends being bullied. The most common types of bullying reported were traditional bullying (e.g., face-to-face bullying, verbal, and physical). Cyberbullying was not very common. More females reported being bullied in comparison to males and most of the aggressors were peer students. Overall, moderate level of aggressive personality traits and low levels of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD were reported for the total sample. T-tests revealed significant differences in the three psychological measures between those who did not experience bullying and those who did. The mean scores on the Aggression Questionnaire for those who bullied others were significantly higher than those who did not experience bullying. Experiences of bullying seem to impact college students’ mental health in the UAE. Therefore, efforts need to focus on developing preventive programs to increase students’ awareness of bullying and its negative impact on campus environment. Offering psychological help for those who were exposed to bullying would help them to deal effectively with this trauma

Consumption patterns and side effects of energy drinks among university students in Palestine: crosssectional study

This study describes the patterns of energy drinks consumption and associated factors among University students in Palestine. A cross-sectional study was conducted at An-Najah National University in Nablus, West Bank-Palestine. The study included 279 students of three colleges: Medicine, Physical Education and Engineering. Data were collected using a 25-item self-administered questionnaire. Energy-drink consumption was significantly higher among male students, as 80.5% of energy-drink users involved in this study was males. It was higher among those with higher monthly expenditure. The most common cause for using energy drinks among users was to stay awake at night (68.6%), while most of those who never tried energy drinks in their lives didn’t do so because they thought energy drinks are unhealthy. About two thirds (64.4%) of the participants didn’t know the main constituents of energy drinks and about half (53.6%) stated that they knew that there might be side effects associated with the use of energy drinks. More than half of the current users (56.8%) consumed less than 1 bottle/day. Energy-drink usage is common among university students in Palestine and higher among males and those with higher monthly expenditure. Campaigns should be encouraged in order to spread awareness about the contents and possible side effects of energy drinks

Prevalence of Complications in Type 2 Diabetics in Dubai, UAE: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Diabetes complications have been increasingly prevalent among type 2 diabetics during the past decades causing high rates of morbidity and mortality. Measures of the prevalence of diabetes complications will lead to preventive decisions and planning of health care. The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence rates of complications in Type 2 diabetics in two Diabetes Centers in Dubai. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive analytical study conducted among type 2 diabetics attending diabetes centers in Dubai. Data was collected form secondary source using patients' records from two diabetes centers involved in the study. Random sampling technique was used to collect 150 patients proportionally allocated according to the total patients (4700 attending patients) available in the two diabetes centers. Data obtained was analyzed using SPSS v.22. Descriptive statistics were calculated (mean, standard deviation, and percentages). Chi-square test was used to compare frequencies between groups. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The study showed that the most dominant prevalence type of complications were: Hyperlipidemia (84%), Neuropathy (34%), Dyslipidemia (32%), Retinopathy (28%), Lethargy (21.3%), and Nephropathy (16.7%). The associations made between three variables each separately (Date of First Visit, HbA1c, and Fasting Blood Glucose) with the prevalence type of complications, showed significant differences in some types: Dyslipidemia, Hyperlipidemia, Neuropathy, Retinopathy, and Joint & Bone pain.  Conclusions: There is a reasonable correlation between different variables and the prevalence of complications among the diabetic population, thus studies should always follow up on this issue in order to have clear associations to prevent complications from occurring in the first place