Fatma Al-Maskari

Fatma Al-Maskari
United Arab Emirates University | UAEU · Institute of Public Health

MBChB, PhD, FFPH, FACP

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123
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Publications

Publications (123)
Article
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A growing interest has been recently reported in exploring sleep duration within psychology context in particular to its relation to some mental chronic diseases such as depression. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between self-reported sleep hours as an outcome and self-perceived depression among Emirati adults, after adjust...
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Background: This cross-sectional study is apart from one of the first and largest population-based prospective cohort
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Background Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, understand, and communicate health-related information. Health literacy among pregnant women, in particular, may have a significant impact on maternal and child health. In the United Arab Emirates, no previous studies have been carried out to investigate the health l...
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Introduction Breast and cervical cancers represent two important causes of cancer-associated deaths in females. Uptake in prevention towards these cancers remains low in the United Arab Emirates. Objectives This study aimed to understand the knowledge, attitudes and practices of females residing in the Al Ain city, UAE, towards cervical and breast...
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Abnormal birth weight, particularly low birth weight (LBW), is known to have long-term adverse health consequences in adulthood, with disrupted sleep being suggested as a mediator or modifier of this link. We thus aimed to assess the associations between birth weight and self-reported adult sleep characteristics: sleep duration, difficulty waking u...
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Introduction Asthma and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are linked in several possible ways. To date, there has been no study evaluating whether pediatric asthma is an independent risk factor for adult PCOS. Our study aimed to examine the association between pediatric asthma (diagnosed at 0-19 years) and adult PCOS (diagnosed at ≥20 years). We f...
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Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the world. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it accounts for 40% of mortality. CVD is caused by multiple cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs) including obesity, dysglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension and central obesity. However, there are limited studies focusing on the CVD...
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Purpose This study aimed to assess the prevalence of self-reported polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) among Emiratis and examine bi-directional associations of PCOS with self-reported chronic diseases, namely: diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Patients and Methods A cross-sectional analysis was performed using the UAE Heal...
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Background For more than half a century, there has been much research and controversies on how to accurately screen for and diagnose gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). There is a paucity of updated research among the Emirati population in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The lack of a uniform GDM diagnostic criteria results in the inability to acc...
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Background Chronic disease burden is increasing globally. In Arab Gulf Countries, the burden has increased exponentially over the past five decades due to rapid economic growth and urbanization. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), chronic diseases are the leading cause of mortality and economic burden, hence, there is need to explore their patterns...
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Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multiplex of risk factors that predispose people to the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD), two of the major non-communicable diseases that contribute to mortality in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). MetS guidelines require the testing of fasting samples, but there are evidence-base...
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Background: The United Arab Emirates Healthy Future Study (UAEHFS) is one of the first large prospective cohort studies and one of the few studies in the region which examines causes and risk factors for chronic diseases among the nationals of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aim of this study is to investigate the eight-item Patient Health Que...
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Background Pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing has proved its utility and cost-effectiveness for some commonly prescribed cardiovascular disease (CVD) medications. In addition, PGx-guided dosing guidelines are now available for multiple CVD drugs, including clopidogrel, warfarin, and statins. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) population is diverse and multi...
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Limited studies have focused on maternal early-life risk factors and the later development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed to estimate the GDM prevalence and examine the associations of maternal early-life risk factors, namely: maternal birthweight, parental smoking at birth, childhood urbanicity, ever-breastfed, parental education...
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Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) burden is burgeoning globally. Correct knowledge about GDM among young people is paramount for timely prevention. This study assesses GDM knowledge and identifies factors associated with it among United Arab Emirates (UAE) University students. A validated self-administered questionnaire collected data from the un...
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Introduction Similar to other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), people who develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) typically have more than one risk factor. The clustering of cardiovascular risk factors begins in youth, early adulthood, and middle age. The presence of multiple risk factors simultaneously has been shown to increase the risk for atheros...
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Objective This study examined the associations of socio-demographic and lifestyle factors with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG). Methods In the Mutaba’ah Study in the United Arab Emirates, repeated measurements throughout pregnancy from medical records were used to determine pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG. Associati...
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Background Pharmacists play a unique role in integrating genomic medicine and pharmacogenomics into the clinical practice and to translate pharmacogenomics from bench to bedside. However, the literature suggests that the knowledge gap in pharmacogenomics is a major challenge; therefore, developing pharmacists’ skills and literacy to achieve this an...
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Pharmacogenomics (PGx) education is crucial to support the effective delivery of PGx services in any health care system. We mapped the current educational environment of genomics and PGx in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and assessed the readiness of the accredited higher education system to move forward with the implementation of PGx in the countr...
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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...
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Background: 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-Pu...
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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...
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Incense burning is common worldwide and produces environmental toxicants that may influence health; however, biologic effects have been little studied. In 303 Emirati adults, we tested the hypothesis that incense use is linked to compositional changes in the oral microbiota that can be potentially significant for health. The oral microbiota was ass...
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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 12e1...
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Introduction: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of cardio-metabolic risk factors in men under 30 in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 33 327 Emirati men aged 18-29 attending an obligatory standardized medical examination between May 2015 and February 2017. Body mass index, fas...
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This appendix formed part of the original submission and has been peer reviewed. Supplement to: GBD 2017 SDG Collaborators. Measuring progress from 1990 to 2017 and projecting attainment to 2030 of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. L...
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Background Efforts to establish the 2015 baseline and monitor early implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight both great potential for and threats to improving health by 2030. To fully deliver on the SDG aim of “leaving no one behind”, it is increasingly important to examine the health-related SDGs beyond national-leve...
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Background Efforts to establish the 2015 baseline and monitor early implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight both great potential for and threats to improving health by 2030. To fully deliver on the SDG aim of “leaving no one behind”, it is increasingly important to examine the health-related SDGs beyond national-leve...
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Cigarette smoking alters the oral microbiome; however, the effect of alternative tobacco products remains unclear. Middle Eastern tobacco products like dokha and shisha, are becoming globally widespread. We tested for the first time in a Middle Eastern population the hypothesis that different tobacco products impact the oral microbiome. The oral mi...
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Introduction 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. Methods The UAE Healthy Future Study (UAEHFS) seeks...
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Objectives: We used the results of the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study to estimate trends of HIV/AIDS burden in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries between 1990 and 2015. Methods: Tailored estimation methods were used to produce final estimates of mortality. Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated by multiplying the mortality rate...
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Objectives: Mental disorders are among the leading causes of nonfatal burden of disease globally. Methods: We used the global burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors study 2015 to examine the burden of mental disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR). We defined mental disorders according to criteria proposed in the diagnostic a...
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Objectives: Assessing the burden of maternal mortality is important for tracking progress and identifying public health gaps. This paper provides an overview of the burden of maternal mortality in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) by underlying cause and age from 1990 to 2015. Methods: We used the results of the Global Burden of Disease 201...
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Objectives: We used data from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study (GBD) to calculate the burden of lower respiratory infections (LRIs) in the 22 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) from 1990 to 2015. Methods: We conducted a systematic analysis of mortality and morbidity data for LRI and its specific etiologic factors, includi...
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OBJECTIVES:We used the results of the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study to estimate trends of HIV/AIDS burden in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries between 1990 and 2015. METHODS:Tailored estimation methods were used to produce final estimates of mortality. Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated by multiplying the mortality rate by p...
Article
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OBJECTIVES:We used data from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study (GBD) to calculate the burden of lower respiratory infections (LRIs) in the 22 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) from 1990 to 2015. METHODS:We conducted a systematic analysis of mortality and morbidity data for LRI and its specific etiologic factors, including pn...
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OBJECTIVES:Assessing the burden of maternal mortality is important for tracking progress and identifying public health gaps. This paper provides an overview of the burden of maternal mortality in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) by underlying cause and age from 1990 to 2015. METHODS:We used the results of the Global Burden of Disease 2015 stu...
Article
OBJECTIVES:Mental disorders are among the leading causes of nonfatal burden of disease globally. METHODS:We used the global burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors study 2015 to examine the burden of mental disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR). We defined mental disorders according to criteria proposed in the diagnostic and st...
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Introduction: 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 b...
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Background The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is faced with a rapidly increasing burden of non-communicable diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The UAE Healthy Future study is a prospective cohort designed to identify associations between risk factors and these diseases amongst Emiratis. The study will enroll 20,000 UAE na...
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Background Although stress reaction is high among nursing staff and nursing students in the Middle East and its effect on life is known, there are scant studies reporting on these clinical and social features. In addition, there are no studies reporting on factors that influence career choice among this group. Aim This study aimed to investigate f...
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Genomic 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. Moreov...
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Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate acceptance of compulsory premarital HIV testing (PHT) among high-school students, and factors associated with support for various options given a positive result, before/after an educational intervention. Material and methods: A pre-/post-interventional evaluation survey was conducted in 70 randoml...
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Background: As mortality rates decline, life expectancy increases, and populations age, non-fatal outcomes of diseases and injuries are becoming a larger component of the global burden of disease. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence, incidence, and years l...
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Background: Measurement of changes in health across locations is useful to compare and contrast changing epidemiological patterns against health system performance and identify specific needs for resource allocation in research, policy development, and programme decision making. Using the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study...
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Aims The transformation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from a semi-nomadic to a high income society has been accompanied by increasing rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. We examined if the AGE-RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation endproducts) axis is associated with obesity and diabetes mellitus in the pilot phase of the UAE Healthy...
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Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are common diseases with a heterogeneous distribution worldwide. Here, we present methods and disease and risk estimates for COPD and asthma from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) 2015 study. The GBD study provides annual updates on estimates of death...
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BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are common diseases with a heterogeneous distribution worldwide. Here, we present methods and disease and risk estimates for COPD and asthma from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) 2015 study. The GBD study provides annual updates on estimates of deaths...
Article
Full-text available
BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are common diseases with a heterogeneous distribution worldwide. Here, we present methods and disease and risk estimates for COPD and asthma from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) 2015 study. The GBD study provides annual updates on estimates of death...
Data
e-Table 1. Age-standardized sex-specific incidence rates of lower respiratory infections (percent) in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 2015. (Global Burden of Disease Study 2015, Eastern Mediterranean Countries, 2015)
Data
e-Figure 1 - Percent of total maternal disability-adjusted life-years(DALYs) attributable to maternal causes in the Eastern Mediterranean by age, 2015. (Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study, Eastern Mediterranean Countries, 2015).