Contraceptive Utilisation Among Mothers of Reproductive Age in Ajman, United Arab Emirates

Objectives: This study aimed to determine contraceptive utilisation among mothers aged 18–49 years old in Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from May to November 2013. A total of 400 participants were recruited from two primary healthcare centres and one private hospital in Ajman. An interviewer-administered validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: The frequency of previous and current contraceptive use was 68.0% and 61.8%, respectively. Expatriates more frequently used contraceptives in comparison to Emiratis (77.3% versus 54.3%, respectively). Contraceptive use increased significantly with age (75.5% among >35-year-olds versus 57.3% among ≤25-year-olds; P <0.050) and education level (83.3% among postgraduates versus 60.0% among those with primary education; P <0.050). In addition, contraceptive use was significantly higher among those living in a nuclear family system (P <0.050). A univariate analysis indicated significant associations between contraceptive use and age, nationality, education level, type of family system, employment sector, parity, knowledge of birth control measures and source of birth control information (P <0.050 each). However, no significant associations were found via multivariate analysis.Conclusion: Healthcare practitioners can play a pivotal role in providing contraceptive advice which could lead to an improvement in contraceptive utilisation. Efforts are recommended to raise awareness regarding newer forms of contraceptives among mothers of reproductive age in the UAE

Diabetes Mellitus-Related Knowledge among University Students in Ajman, United Arab Emirates

The aim of this study was to assess diabetes mellitus (DM)-related knowledge and practices among university students enrolled in non-health care related professional courses in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: A pre-tested questionnaire assessing the knowledge of DM was administered to the above-mentioned students. Data collected were transferred to PASW Statistics (Chicago, IL, USA, Version 18) and analysed. Results: Data on 168 university students (47 males and 121 females) were included in the analysis. Of the participants, 25% were overweight or obese and only 27% exercised regularly. Regarding their knowledge of DM, 70% knew that it is characterised by high blood sugar levels and identified family history as a major risk factor. Surprisingly, only just over half could link obesity and physical inactivity as risk factors for developing DM, or could identify an excessive feeling of thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss as symptoms. Knowledge of the complications of diabetes, including gangrene, loss of sensation in limbs, oral and dental complications, recurrent infections, and risk for cardiovascular disease got a moderate response. Knowledge of diabetes was found to be higher in females compared to males. No significant differences were observed in the health behaviour of participants with or without a family history of DM. Conclusion: Our study revealed that in spite of exposure to various sources of information, the participants’ level of DM-related knowledge was not adequate. We recommend the engagement of health professionals in educational settings in order to enhance health-related knowledge and inculcate healthy lifestyle practices in students.

Dietary and Lifestyle Factors Associated with Dyspepsia among Pre-clinical Medical Students in Ajman, United Arab Emirates

Introduction: Dyspepsia is a common gastrointestinal diseases worldwide with a prevalence ranging from 7 to 40%. Dyspepsia, more commonly known as heartburn or indigestion, is defined as one or more of the following symptoms: postprandial fullness, early satiation (the inability to finish a normal size meal), or epigastric pain or burning for at least 3 months in the past year. Dyspepsia has been studied extensively, but little is known of factors associated with dyspepsia among medical students.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of dyspepsia and to evaluate the association between lifestyle and dietary factors associated with dyspepsia among pre-clinical medical students in Ajman, United Arab Emirates.Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among pre-clinical medical students at Gulf Medical University, Ajman and collected basic demographic data, dyspepsia prevalence, dietary factors, and lifestyle factors. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the participant characteristics. Chi-square tests were used to test the association between dietary and lifestyle factors and dyspepsia. Logistic regression was used to measure the association of predictors (dietary and lifestyle factors) on the odds of having dyspepsia, independently. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the full association of predictors on the odds of having dyspepsia.Results: The resulting sample was 176 pre-clinical medical students, with a mean age of 20.67 ± 2.57 years. A total of 77 (43.8%) respondents reported having dyspepsia while 99 (56.2%) did not. There was a significant association between smoking and dyspepsia (p<0.05), as well as a marginally significant association between inadequate sleep and dyspepsia (p<0.10). There was no significant association with alcohol or analgesic use on dyspesia. Dietary habits showed no association with dyspepsia.Conclusion: Dyspepsia was reported by 43.8% of the repondents. These findings emphasize the importance of improving lifestyle and dietary factors associated with dyspepsia and raising awareness of reducing risk factors associated with dyspepsia. Further studies are needed on dyspepsia in a larger cohort of students in order to fully understand the complexity of this problem and be able to generalize the findings to other cohorts

Association between Body Mass Index and Bone Mineral Density in Patients Referred for Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Scan in Ajman, UAE

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a good indicator for measurements of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) which measures the density of minerals present in the bones using a special scan. This study was conducted to assess the association between BMI and status of BMD among 101 individuals who underwent Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. 39 subjects had normal and 62 had low bone mineral density. BMD was low in 82.4% of people with normal BMI, 78.1% among overweight, and 44.2% among obese. There was a statistically significant association between these two variables (P < .001). Low BMD was recorded in 59.1% of females and 76.9% of males. Association between advancing age and lower BMI is an important risk factor in the occurrence of low BMD

Family History of Non-communicable Disease and its Relationship in Acute Coronary Syndrome with or without Diabetes Mellitus

Worldwide, non-communicable diseases which involve heart disease, diabetes mellitus and hypertension, represent a major risk factor that increases morbidity and mortality of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The Objective of this study is to assess the Association of family history of non-communicable diseases in ACS patients with diabetes mellitus. This study is descriptive study of 175 ACS patients reported to the cardiology department in a tertiary care center in Ajman, UAE. Patient records were viewed on the computer database and all the necessary information required to achieve the objectives were extracted and filled in the checklist prepared. The data was analyzed by SPSS 20 and Chi square test was done to assess the association. The results shows that the non-communicable diseases reported were diabetes mellitus, hypertension and heart diseases. The degree of relation was divided into first and second degrees. The first degree of relation included (father, mother, brother, sister or more than one of them. The second degree of relation included (uncle, cousin, aunt, grandfather, grandmother etc.). There were 11(91.7%) patients with first degree family history of DM and 1(8.3%) patient with second degree relation. Out of the 14 patients that gave positive family history of hypertension only one was second degree of relation and all the rest were first degree of relation. Regarding the most common non-communicable disease, heart disease, 18(94.7%) patients had first degree relatives and 1(5.3%) second degree relative with history of heart disease. As a conclusion we can say that among the ACS patients with family history of heart diseases, majority of them (94.7%) had in first degree relatives whereas in the case of family history of hypertension and diabetes, it was also highly reported in first degree relatives with 92.9% and 91.7% respectively. It was also found family history of DM has a major role for the occurrence of DM in ACS patients

Blood and body fluids: knowledge, attitude and practice of medical students in Ajman, UAE

The health care workers should be aware of Universal Work Precaution (UWP) as there is an increased risk of exposure to infectious diseases which is considered mainly due to accidental exposure to blood and body fluids. This study mainly aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice of medical students on blood and body fluids at Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study subjects constituted 212 medical students of academic years 2005 &ndash; 2009. A self administered questionnaire was utilized for data collection and analysis was performed using statistical software PASW 17. Results: The participant&rsquo;s age ranged from 17 to 27 years. A statistically significant association (P&lt;0.001) between knowledge on UWP and year of study was observed, with a highest knowledge of 95.5% in third year, 88% fifth year, 82.5% fourth year, 67.3% second year and a lowest of 33.3% in first year. A statistically significant association was obtained between knowledge and practice (P&lt;0.01) of medical students regarding needle recapping. The study reported, that a majority of participants with the opinion on wearing surgical aprons, masks and protective goggles during surgery while the practice was not up to the level of knowledge. Statistically significant association was obtained between knowledge and practice (P&lt;0.01) with regard to the usage of surgical aprons and protective goggles. The present study thus indicates an increase in practice with increase in knowledge. The study also emphasizes the need for providing proper education on transmission of blood-borne infections, standard precautions and increasing availability of protection strategies. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijosh.v3i1.5981 &nbsp; International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, Vol 3 No 1 (2013) 5-1