Publications by authors named "Fatima Al-Maskari"
Article Synopsis
- Cancer Health Literacy (CHL) is crucial for understanding cancer prevention, treatment, and access to services, significantly impacting people's involvement in screening and preventive measures in the UAE.
- A study involving 492 primary health care patients found that 33.7% had poor/inadequate CHL, 49.6% had a moderate level, and only 16.7% reached good/excellent levels of CHL, with a median score of 8.0.
- Factors such as being a non-UAE national, holding a university degree, and having a family history of cancer positively influenced participants' CHL levels. Most participants accessed cancer information from the internet (50.7%) and other media platforms.
Article Synopsis
- Low hemoglobin (Hb) levels during pregnancy can lead to adverse outcomes, and this study explored how Hb levels change throughout the trimesters and what factors influence these changes.
- Using data from 1,120 pregnant women, researchers identified three clusters of Hb levels: Cluster A (normal), Cluster B (declining), and Cluster C (increasing but still low), each with different median Hb levels across trimesters.
- Factors such as higher number of pregnancies, diabetes, lack of previous pregnancies, and lower education levels were linked to lower Hb levels, while iron supplement use before pregnancy associated with higher but still insufficient Hb levels.
Objective: Prenatal happiness and life satisfaction research are often over-shadowed by other pregnancy and birth outcomes. This analysis investigated the level of, and factors associated with happiness amongst pregnant women in the United Arab Emirates.
Methods: Baseline cross-sectional data was analyzed from the Mutaba'ah Study, a large population-based prospective cohort study in the UAE.
Background: Chronic diseases constitute a major public health problem in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Chronic diseases have been found to be associated with an increased prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms. Depression can have detrimental effect on the prognosis of the disease and quality of life in patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSelf-reported tobacco use is high in the male adult Emirati population (males ~36% vs. females ~3%); however, there are minimal data on tobacco use or exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during pregnancy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study investigated the prevalence of, and factors associated with, tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) amongst pregnant women in the UAE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The association of obesity and family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) provides an opportunity for risk stratification and prevention, as these two conditions are the most well-known risk factors for T2DM. We aimed to test the feasibility and effects of a diabetes mellitus prevention education program designed for overweight and obese Emirati people with at least one parent with T2DM.
Methods: We conducted a pilot study using a pre-post design without a control arm at the Diabetes Center at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain, UAE.
Background And Aim: Mapping the power, interest, and stance of stakeholders is a cornerstone for genomic medicine implementation. In this study, we aimed at mapping the power/interest of various stakeholders in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and exploring their attitudes toward pressing health genomics aspects. The overarching aim of this study is to facilitate the construction of a road map for the full implementation of genomic medicine and pharmacogenomics in the UAE with potential applicability to many healthcare systems around the world.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Expatriates account for about 80% of the total population in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study aimed to evaluate the hypothesis that prevalence of type 2 diabetes in male South Asian expatriates increases with increased length of residence in the UAE.
Design, Settings And Participants: This cross-sectional study recruited a representative sample (n=1375) of male South Asian expatriates aged ≥18 years in Al Ain, UAE.
Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of recurrent miscarriage (RM) and investigate the association between RM and adverse maternal outcomes in subsequent pregnancies.
Participants And Methods: This is an interim analysis of a prospective study of 1737 pregnant women with gravidity of two or more prior to the current pregnancy. These women joined the Mutaba'ah Study between May 2017 and April 2019 and were followed up until they delivered.
Background: Occupational exposure to cytotoxic drugs is associated with various unfavorable health outcomes. This protocol reports a methodology for a systematic review and meta-analysis that aims to systematically review the published literature and quantify the level of environmental contamination of healthcare settings with cytotoxic drugs.
Methods: This protocol is developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocol-2015 (PRISMA-P) guidelines.
Antenatal care (ANC) provides monitoring and regular follow-up of maternal and fetal health during pregnancy. Women with appropriate ANC tend to have better delivery and birth outcomes. This study describes the patterns of ANC utilization and factors associated with appropriate ANC initiation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We systematically reviewed and chronicled exposures and outcomes measured in the maternal and birth cohort studies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and quantitatively summarized the weighted effect estimates between maternal obesity and (1) cesarean section (CS) and (2) fetal macrosomia.
Methods: We searched MEDLINE-PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases up to 30 June 2019. We considered all maternal and birth cohort studies conducted in the six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE)).
Background: Both screen time and metabolic syndrome (MetS) are associated with health outcomes. However, limited data exist on the association between screen time and MetS among expatriate adolescents living in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional school-based study on 473 expatriate adolescents (47% girls) aged 12-18 years in Al-Ain district of Abu Dhabi Emirates in the UAE.
Introduction: Early life exposures, particularly environmental and parental lifestyle factors, have a major influence on children's health and development. Due to increasing interest in the early life developmental origins of diseases, many birth cohorts have been established. These studies constitute a repository of data which researchers use over many years to investigate emerging research questions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Self-reported tobacco use in the United Arab Emirates is among the highest in the region. Use of tobacco products other than cigarettes is widespread, but little is known about specific behavior use patterns. There have been no studies that have biochemically verified smoking status.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Cohort studies have revealed that genetic, socioeconomic, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and environmental exposures during pregnancy may influence the mother and her pregnancy, birth delivery and her offspring. Numerous studies have been conducted in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to examine maternal and birth health. The objectives of this protocol for a systematic review are to systematically review and characterise the exposures and outcomes that have been examined in the mother and birth cohort studies in the GCC region, and to summarise the strength of association between key maternal exposures during pregnancy (ie, body mass index) and different health-related outcomes (ie, mode of birth delivery).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenomic medicine has greatly matured in terms of its technical capabilities, but the diffusion of genomic innovations worldwide faces significant barriers beyond mere access to technology. New global development strategies are sorely needed for biotechnologies such as genomics and their applications toward precision medicine without borders. Moreover, diffusion of genomic medicine globally cannot adhere to a "one-size-fits-all-countries" development strategy, in the same way that drug treatments should be customized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The aims of this study were to assess the seroprevalence of vaccine-preventable infections in Emirati medical students, and to provide scientific evidence for implementation of a cost-effective immunization guideline and policy for medical school admission.
Methods: This prospective cohort study involved 261 (61% female) Emirati medical students (preclinical and clinical) attending the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at UAE University. Data on vaccination and history of infectious diseases were collected from participants.
Screening strategy for type 2 diabetes in the United Arab Emirates.
Asia Pac J Public Health
July 2010
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) among Emirati nationals is one of the highest in the world. The recently released United Arab Emirates National DM guidelines call for screening all adults aged 30 years and more. The authors explored the need for such a modification of current American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: To determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications in the adult population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and assess the degree of metabolic control in subjects with diagnosed DM.
Methods: A random sample of houses of Emirati citizens living in Al Ain, UAE was surveyed. Fasting blood glucose was determined by glucose meter and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted if blood sugar was <7 mmol/l.