Public Health Ambassadors: A Novel Participatory Community Health Awareness Program in Abu Dhabi.

Community-based intervention (CBI) programs promote lifestyle changes, modify risk factors, and substantially improve public health. Social mobilization and community involvement improve health outcomes, reduce health disparities, and improve access to care and services. Health intervention program evaluations are essential to provide evidence-based strategies that can enhance the design and implementation of successful health promotion programs.

How to help countries improve resilience during a pandemic: an example of a Rapid Exchange Forum.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic demanded quick exchanges between experts and institutions supporting governments to provide evidence-based information in response to the crisis. Initially, there was no regular cross-country forum in the field of population health. This paper describes the set-up and benefits of implementing such a forum.

European Health Information Training Programme: a sustainable strategy for strengthening capacity in health information.

Background: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a need for a uniform approach to health information (HI) knowledge in population health analysis across Europe was evident. The Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) emerged as a proactive initiative to strengthen European HI capacities. This article describes the achievements of PHIRI, highlighting its capacity-building activities and their contribution towards a sustainable strategy for the implementation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS).

School bullying prevention and intervention strategies in the United Arab Emirates: a scoping review.

Introduction: Schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) witnessed an increase of 7% in bullying prevalence since 2005. This review aimed to map antibullying interventions in the UAE.

Methods: A systematic search was performed in five electronic databases (EMBASE, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus and Eric) using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Review.

Protocol for a cluster randomised trial of a goal-oriented care approach for multimorbidity patients supported by a digital platform.

Introduction: Health information systems represent an opportunity to improve the care provided to people with multimorbidity. There is a pressing need to assess their impact on clinical outcomes to validate this intervention. Our study will determine whether using a digital platform (Multimorbidity Management Health Information System, METHIS) to manage multimorbidity improves health-related quality of life (HR-QoL).

Impacts of public health and social measures on COVID-19 in Europe: a review and modified Delphi technique.

Introduction: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 led countries to implement a set of public health and social measures (PHSMs) attempting to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This study aims to review the existing literature regarding key results of the PHSMs that were implemented, and to identify the PHSMs considered to have most impacted the epidemiological curve of COVID-19 over the last years during different stages of the pandemic.

Methods: The PHSM under study were selected from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT), supplemented by topics presented during the Rapid Exchange Forum (REF) meetings in the scope of the Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) project (H2020).

Genotoxicity of Occupational Pesticide Exposures among Agricultural Workers in Arab Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Exposure to pesticides in Arab countries is a significant public health concern due to extensive agricultural activity and pesticide use. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the genotoxic effects of agricultural pesticide exposure in the region, identify research gaps, and assess methodological limitations. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search yielded five relevant studies conducted in Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.

The Effect of COVID-19 Diagnosis on the Physical, Social, and Psychological Well-Being of People in the United Arab Emirates: An Explorative Qualitative Study.

A positive COVID-19 infection may impact physical, mental, and social health. Different factors may influence these impacts on different levels due to personal circumstances. This study aimed to explore the impact of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis on the physical,mental, social, psychological health, and lifestyle practices of an individual in the United Arab Emirates.

Assessor burden, inter-rater agreement and user experience of the RoB-SPEO tool for assessing risk of bias in studies estimating prevalence of exposure to occupational risk factors: An analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury.

Background: As part of the development of the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Labour Organization (ILO) Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury, WHO and ILO carried out several systematic reviews to determine the prevalence of exposure to selected occupational risk factors. Risk of bias assessment for individual studies is a critical step of a systematic review. No tool existed for assessing the risk of bias in prevalence studies of exposure to occupational risk factors, so WHO and ILO developed and pilot tested the RoB-SPEO tool for this purpose.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Europe: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prevalence Studies.

Background: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is defined as the type of hyperglycemia diagnosed for the first-time during pregnancy, presenting with intermediate glucose levels between normal levels for pregnancy and glucose levels diagnostic of diabetes in the non-pregnant state. We aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze studies of prevalence of GDM in European countries at regional and sub-regional levels, according to age, trimester, body weight, and GDM diagnostic criteria.

Methods: Systematic search was conducted in five databases to retrieve studies from 2014 to 2019 reporting the prevalence of GDM in Europe.

Occupational Health of Frontline Healthcare Workers in the United Arab Emirates during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Snapshot of Summer 2020.

The study aim was to understand the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study was an online-based, cross-sectional survey during July and August 2020. Participants were eligible from the entire country, and 1290 agreed to participate.

Sharps injuries and splash exposures among healthcare workers in Arab countries: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Sharps injuries, including needlestick injuries and splash exposures, constitute serious occupational health problems for healthcare workers, carrying the risk of bloodborne infections. However, data on such occupational incidents and their risk factors in healthcare settings are scarce and not systematically summarised in the Arab countries.The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to review published literature about sharps injuries and splash exposures of healthcare workers in Arab countries, with the objectives to determine the incidence and/or prevalence of these events, their identified risk factors and the applied preventive and postexposure prophylactic measures.

Prevalence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the Middle East and North Africa, 2000-2019: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression.

Unlabelled: Women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are burdened with several risk factors related to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) including overweight and high parity. We systematically reviewed the literature and quantified the weighted prevalence of GDM in MENA at the regional, subregional, and national levels. Studies published from 2000 to 2019 reporting the prevalence of GDM in the MENA region were retrieved and were assessed for their eligibility.

The effect of exposure to radiofrequency fields on cancer risk in the general and working population: A protocol for a systematic review of human observational studies.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has an ongoing project to assess potential health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in the general and working population. Here we present the protocol for a systematic review of the scientific literature on cancer hazards from exposure to RF-EMF in humans, commissioned by the WHO as part of that project.

Objective: To assess the quality and strength of the evidence provided by human observational studies for a causal association between exposure to RF-EMF and risk of neoplastic diseases.

Effects of Diabetes Prevention Education Program for Overweight and Obese Subjects with a Family History of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Pilot Study from the United Arab Emirates.

Objectives: 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.

A Review of COVID-19 Mass Testing in the United Arab Emirates.

Appropriate diagnostic testing to identify persons infected with SARS-COV-2 is a vital part of a health system's ability to control the global pandemic of COVID-19 disease. The primary purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the mass testing strategy implemented throughout the UAE and the overall impact it has made on containing and controlling the spread of the disease. This study describes the mass testing strategy and capacity of the UAE during the pandemic of the new coronavirus SARS-COV-2.

Environmental assessment of cytotoxic drugs in healthcare settings: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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.

Diabetes-related symptoms, acute complications and management of diabetes mellitus of patients who are receiving palliative care: a protocol for a systematic review.

Introduction: Worldwide, an estimated 40 million people are in need of palliative care each year, but only 14% receive it. The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients receiving palliative care is higher than in the general population. This association is intended to grow as a result of the rising burden of DM worldwide, ageing populations and the improved overall survival time of several diseases over the last few decades.

WHO/ILO work-related burden of disease and injury: Protocol for systematic reviews of occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation and of the effect of occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation on melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are developing a joint methodology for estimating the national and global work-related burden of disease and injury (WHO/ILO joint methodology), with contributions from a large network of experts. In this paper, we present the protocol for two systematic reviews of parameters for estimating the number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years from melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (or keratinocyte carcinoma) from occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation, to inform the development of the WHO/ILO joint methodology.

Objectives: We aim to systematically review studies on occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (Systematic Review 1) and systematically review and meta-analyse estimates of the effect of occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation on melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (Systematic Review 2), applying the Navigation Guide systematic review methodology as an organizing framework and conducting both systematic reviews in tandem and in a harmonized way.

How do we strengthen the health workforce in a rapidly developing high-income country? A case study of Abu Dhabi's health system in the United Arab Emirates.

Background: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a rapidly developing high-income country that was formed from the union of seven emirates in 1971. The UAE has experienced unprecedented population growth coupled with increased rates of chronic diseases over the past few decades. Healthcare workers are the core foundation of the health system, especially for chronic care conditions, and the UAE health workforce needs to be fully prepared for the increased rates of chronic diseases in the adult population.