The Arabic version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale was retested and cut-off points determined in a sample of 217 patients attending a primary health care centre in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Subjects were screened using the HAD scale and all patients were then interviewed by a single consultant psychiatrist. The scale scores were assessed against the psychiatrist's clinical evaluations. The study furnished evidence that the Arabic version of the HAD scale is a valid instrument for detecting anxiety and depressive disorders in primary health care settings. Spearman rank correlations of all items of the scale were significantly above zero. The butterflies item of the anxiety subscale had the lowest correlation coefficients. The overall Cronbach alpha measures of internal consistency were 0.7836 and 0.8760 for anxiety and depression, respectively. The cut-off points that produced a balanced combination of sensitivity and specificity appropriate for referral to a psychiatric facility by the general practitioner were 6/7 for anxiety and 3/4 for depression. Almost all other similar studies have determined a single cut-off point for both subscales of the HAD. This study also indicated that the HAD depression subscale is more consistent and more predictive than the HAD anxiety subscale. Moreover some of the problems arising from applying psychiatric research instruments across cultures are highlighted by this study.

The Arabic version of the HAD scale was validated in a sample of 50 Saudi patients. The scale scores were assessed against the principal author's clinical evaluations. Spearman correlations of all items of the scale, except for one, were statistically significant. The non-significance of one item was probably related to the way it was translated into Arabic. The study furnished evidence that the Arabic version was a reliable instrument for detecting states of anxiety and depression in Saudi patients in a primary health care setting.

Low serum 25-OHD in female Arab subjects, which may predispose their infants to hypocalcaemia, has been suggested to be due to inadequate sunshine exposure, but may include other sociobiological factors. The effects of duration of sunshine exposure -weighted against the magnitude of clothing (UV exposure) and other sociobiological variables such as age, education and living accommodation -on serum 25-OHD and mineral status of 33 UAE national women of childbearing age were compared with those of 25 non-Gulf Arabs and seventeen Europeans. Serum concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and intact parathyroid hormone among the groups were not significantly different. The serum concentration of 25-OHD in UAE nationals was 8·6 ng/ml (4·5-17·4), mean<1 SD, and in non-Gulf Arabs 12·6 ng/ml (6·0-26·4); both these values were significantly lower ( p::0·0001) than the 64·3 ng/ml (49-84·3) found in Europeans. Compared with Europeans, the UAE and non-Gulf Arabs in this study were younger, had fewer years of education and had significantly lower clothing and UV scores ( p:0·0001). Furthermore, there was a positive correlation (r:0·59425) between serum 25-OHD and UV score, but not with length of exposure. After adjusting for other confounding variables, nationality, clothing and UV scores remained major determinants of serum 25-OHD ( p:0·0001). Therefore, limited skin exposure to sunlight appears to be an important determinant of vitamin D status in our subjects. Strategies to increase vitamin D stores should include vitamin D supplementation or advice on effective sunlight exposure.

The Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS) (Goldberg et al. 1970) was applied in a study investigating the prevalence rate, nature and severity of minor psychiatric disorders among U.A.E. nationals attending a primary health care centre in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). The total prevalence rate of minor psychiatric morbidity, among the group of attenders who were interviewed, was 27.6%. The morbidity was higher among females (31.9%), than males (20.3%). The highest morbidity rate among the entire sample occurred among the 35-54 year age group. The commonest diagnoses encountered were neurotic depression (55%), anxiety-depressive states (13.3%) and anxiety states (11.7%). The distribution of diagnostic entities was similar among males and females except for anxiety-depressive states which were more common in females. The prevalence of neurotic depression and anxiety-depression states were highest in the middle age group, while anxiety states were highest among the young age group. The overall severity rate (OSR) among the identified cases was found to be ranging between mild and moderate severity.

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