UAE Women's Knowledge and Attitudes towards Physical Activity during Pregnancy.

The benefits of being physically active during pregnancy are widely acknowledged. It is important for the prevention of chronic diseases and the promotion of good health for mothers and children. However, physical activity by women in the UAE is notoriously low and reduced further during pregnancy. The same can be said regarding research about the knowledge and understanding of the benefits and risks associated with exercise as a predictor of behavior. We aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes towards physical activity during pregnancy amongst Emirati women. A cross-sectional digital survey was designed to assess knowledge and attitudes and distributed to women, aged 18-40 years, using non-randomized, purposeful snowball sampling. A total of 1538 women were recruited. Most participants were aged 20-29 years (53.5%), were Emiratis (88.9%), and had no history of chronic disease (68.6%). The participants self-reported very low levels of PA (75.5%) and had a below-average level of knowledge overall (40.6 ± 20). Younger ages (p < 0.001), lower educational levels (p = 0.004), being employed (p = 0.014), and having a history of chronic disease (p = 0.016) were significantly associated with lower mean knowledge scores, while being married (p = 0.003) was significantly associated with higher scores. The participants also exhibited a positive attitude towards physical activity during pregnancy by selecting answers that they supported it. To encourage physical activity, women living in the UAE could benefit from clear advice about safe physical activity during pregnancy.

Knowledge about Vitamin D among Women in the United Arab Emirates.

Vitamin D deficiency is a significant public health issue as it affects almost 90% of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population. A bigger portion of this percentage is women due to the physiological changes throughout their life cycle. This study aims to assess the knowledge about vitamin D among women in the UAE. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study. Using snowball sampling, an electronic questionnaire was sent to women aged 18 years and above. Overall, 1537 women completed the questionnaire. The participants had mean scores of 49.4 ± 10.7 and 59.6 ± 14.6 for general and nutritional knowledge, respectively. Factors associated with higher scores included older age, marriage, higher educational level, and having tested their vitamin D levels. Factors associated with lower scores included the history of a chronic illness and being employed. Findings indicate that women in this study showed a low level of vitamin D knowledge specifically regarding the non-skeletal benefits of vitamin D and factors that affect vitamin D synthesis. Therefore, health education and promotion programs must be implemented across the UAE to improve overall awareness about vitamin D.

The Barriers to Sustainable Nutrition for Sustainable Health among Zayed University Students in the UAE.

Unhealthy and unsustainable nutrition is a major concern globally, including in the United Arab Emirates. Although many education programs have been conducted, diet-related illnesses remain prevalent. This study aims to identify the barriers between knowledge and practice of sustainable healthy diets to achieve long-term health, among students of Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. An online questionnaire was sent to Zayed University (ZU) students over 18 years of age, using snowball sampling. The participants achieved a mean score of 5.6 out of 11 in nutritional knowledge, and a mean score of 3.4 out of 6 in healthy habits. The only barrier that significantly affected dietary habits was not knowing how to plan a diet (p = 0.025). Accordingly, having good nutritional knowledge was significantly related to improved dietary habits (p < 0.001). In addition, school curriculums (p = 0.004), doing one's own research (p < 0.001), and social media (p < 0.001) were significantly related to improved nutritional knowledge. The most commonly reported motivators for a healthier diet were "to keep their body healthy for a long time" and "to maintain a healthy weight" (72.6% and 70.1%, respectively). Overall, among ZU students the most significant barrier to achieving sustainable healthy nutrition was lack of knowledge. Education methods such as school curriculums, individual research, and social media were effective. Topics such as how to plan a diet, how to keep the body healthy, and how to maintain a healthy weight are of general interest.

COVID-19 Disease Severity and Death in Relation to Vitamin D Status among SARS-CoV-2-Positive UAE Residents.

Insufficient blood levels of the neurohormone vitamin D are associated with increased risk of COVID-19 severity and mortality. Despite the global rollout of vaccinations and promising preliminary results, the focus remains on additional preventive measures to manage COVID-19. Results conflict on vitamin D's plausible role in preventing and treating COVID-19. We examined the relation between vitamin D status and COVID-19 severity and mortality among the multiethnic population of the United Arab Emirates. Our observational study used data for 522 participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at one of the main hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Only 464 of those patients were included for data analysis. Demographic and clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Serum samples immediately drawn at the first hospital visit were used to measure serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations through automated electrochemiluminescence. Levels < 12 ng/mL were significantly associated with higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection and of death. Age was the only other independent risk factor, whereas comorbidities and smoking did not contribute to the outcomes upon adjustment. Sex of patients was not an important predictor for severity or death. Our study is the first conducted in the UAE to measure 25(OH)D levels in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients and confirm the association of levels < 12 ng/mL with COVID-19 severity and mortality.

Accelerometer measured physical activity patterns of children during segmented school day in Abu Dhabi.

BACKGROUND: The overwhelming majority of United Arab Emirates (UAE) school-aged children do not meet the 60 min per day recommendation of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Understanding the different school day segments contribution to children reaching this goal is a crucial step toward developing successful strategies to promote school day MVPA levels. This study aimed to objectively measure children's' physical activity levels and to examine the difference in physical activity levels between high active and low active children during the school day in Abu Dhabi. METHODS: A total of 133 school children (56% boys; mean age 10.5 years; grades 4-7) from two elementary schools in Abu Dhabi wore accelerometers (ActiGraph GT9X Link) for up to 5 non-consecutive days during spring 2019. Children's' MVPA was estimated during the following school segments: class time, lunch, recess, physical education (PE), and whole school day. Children were stratified as "high active" meeting the ≥30 min/day MVPA school time guideline or "low active" accumulating < 30 min/day MVPA. RESULTS: On average children accumulated 21.8 ± 22.6 min/day of MVPA on PE days and 22.4 ± 15.9 min/day of MVPA on non-PE days. Only 19% of children met the 30 min or more of school day MVPA recommendation, with higher proportion of boys (27%) meeting such recommendation compared to girls (8%). High active boys, spent the highest percent of time in MVPA during PE (28%), followed closely by lunch (27%). In compression, high active girls spent the highest percent of time in MVPA during lunch (14.2%) followed by recess (9.1%). High active children accumulated 15.06 more minutes of MVPA during PE (p < 0.001), 2 more minutes during recess (p < 0.001), 3 more minutes of MVPA during lunch (p < 0.001) and 5 more minutes of MVPA during class time (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The overwhelming majority of school children did not meet the recommended 30 min /day MVPA during school time. Girls substantially accumulated less MVPA and more sedentary minutes across all segments during the school days compared to boys. Further research is needed to investigate school day segments contribution to children MVPA in the UAE.

Evaluation of Self-Assessed State of Health and Vitamin D Knowledge in Emirati and International Female Students in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

INTRODUCTION: Globally, vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies, affecting nearly half the world's population. The objective of this survey was to assess and compare the knowledge about vitamin D and the perceived state of health in Emirati and international tourist female students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study that took place in universities in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This survey consisted of 17 multiple choice questions and was adapted from a study recently conducted in Poland. The first part of the survey assessed levels of supplementation, diet and UV exposure. Another section evaluated the participants' self-assessed state of health in terms of vitamin D testing, symptoms related to vitamin D deficiency and general welbeing. The collected data were statistically analyzed using SPSS statistics for windows version 26.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States). Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: 105 respondents were Emiratis and 65 were international students. The average age was 21, with an average BMI 23.3 kg/m2. Almost one-third of each group reported using Vitamin D supplements once weekly. The vast majority of both groups reported rarely getting tanned. Almost all participants in both groups reported regular consumption of Vitamin D rich foods. In both groups, more than half reported consuming milk and cheese regularly and up to one-third reported consuming fish in a regular manner. Although more than half of the students rated their health as good; more than two-thirds reported experiencing muscle pain; only half reported having their blood Vitamin D levels measured once; half reported experiencing problems with concentration and more than three-quarters reported experiencing bad mood in the past month. The prevalence of these symptoms was almost similar across different categories of vitamin D supplementation, tanning habits, dietary intake, or nationality. No statistically significant differences were noted between the Emirati and International tourist students regarding any of the studied variables. CONCLUSION: Notably, more Emirati students were aware of the association between vitamin D and osteoporosis than International tourist students (40% vs. 21.9%, respectively; p < 0.05). On the other hand, both groups had lower knowledge about the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and depression, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Hypertension, and the optimal vitamin D level; however, no statistically significant differences were noted regarding this knowledge of Emiratis and international students.

Emirati Adults Have a Higher Overall Knowledge on Vitamin D Compared to Tourists.

OBJECTIVES: In the last decade, vitamin D deficiency has become a major global issue. One of the main functions of vitamin D is the proper absorption of calcium in the gastrointestinal track. Optimal vitamin D levels are mandatory for adequate calcium absorption and bone health. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of knowledge of vitamin D, calcium, and physical activity among Emirati and tourist adults in Abu Dhabi. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study that took place in three different malls in Abu Dhabi and included Emirati and tourist adults. Participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire consisting of 32 questions. These included questions on vitamin D, calcium, supplement, and physical activity knowledge. Another section of the questionnaire included general information on age, sex, education, weight, and height. The collected data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics using IBM SPSS statistics for Windows version 26.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States). Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Out of 147 adults, 113 were females and 34 males. The mean age, height, and weight were 27.9 ± 8.6 years, 162.7 ± 10.4 cm, and 66.5 ± 19.5 kg, respectively. Emiratis had statistically significant higher basic knowledge on vitamin D compared to tourists (44.9 vs 27.1%), respectively. More than 66% of the whole sample was aware that vitamin D deficiency can affect muscle strength, as well as that calcium may affect osteoporosis. In a multiple regression model to analyze the possible effects of other factors to knowledge, it was found that only age (Beta: 0.045, P < 0.014) and nationality (Beta: 0.750, P < 0.018) were independently and significantly associated to vitamin D. CONCLUSION: Emirati participants showed a higher overall vitamin D knowledge than their tourist counterparts. Both groups had low/medium level of knowledge when it comes to physical activity and calcium and vitamin D supplements.