This study examines the frequency of consanguineous marriage and the coefficient of inbreeding in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study was conducted in Al Ain and Dubai cities between October 1994 and March 1995. A sample of 2033 married UAE females aged 15 years and over participated. The degree of consanguinity between each female and her spouse, and the degree of consanguinity between their parents were recorded. The rate of consanguinity in the present generation was high (50·5%) with a coefficient of inbreeding of 0·0222. The commonest type of consanguineous marriage was between first cousins (26·2%). Double first cousin marriages were common (3·5%) compared to other populations. The consanguinity rate in the UAE has increased from 39% to 50·5% in one generation. The level of consanguinity was higher in Al Ain (54·2%) than in Dubai (40%).

No abstract

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.

Medical students represent a significant community investment and promoting their health preserves this investment. In order to design health promotion programs for medical students in the United Arab Emirates, students' needs were assessed by means of a cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire survey. Major findings of the survey included: 14% of students were underweight while 24% of students were overweight or obese; the majority believed their activity levels were insufficient (77%), their stress levels too high (65%) and their diet unhealthy (50%); 33%were not sufficiently active to meet minimum recommended levels; few students (22%) had seen a doctor in the past year and many were unaware of important personal health parameters. When presented with hypothetical health situations, many made inappropriate choices. This survey identified significant health-promotion opportunities for these students that can be carried out during medical school in order to establish a healthier physician population.

The aim of the study was to determine whether consanguineous marriages result in reproductive wastage and an increased incidence of illness in the offspring in a community with a long history of inbreeding and an expected high rate of consanguineous marriage. A representative sample of 2200 women aged > 15 years from Dubai and Al Ain, two cities in the United Arab Emirates, representing on the one hand a modern metropolis and on the other a traditional society, were studied. A questionnaire, which included questions on age, parity, gravidity, number of stillbirths, number of abortions, number of children alive, neonatal deaths and specific illnesses in children, was administered by nurses in antenatal and gynaecological clinics in the two cities. The rate of consanguineous marriage was 50.5% and parity, gravidity, ages and number of children were similar in consanguineous and non‐consanguineous groups. There was no significant difference in rates of abortion, stillbirth and neonatal death between the two groups. Overall, there was statistically significant higher reproductive wastage in consanguineous couples, but when the category of less than second cousins was excluded from the consanguineous group no difference was found in reproductive wastage between consanguineous and non‐consanguineous marriages. Children born to consanguineous unions also had significantly higher incidences of illnesses (37.1%) than those of non‐consanguineous unions (29%). The occurrence of malignancies, congenital abnormalities, mental retardation and physical handicap was significantly higher in offspring of consanguineous than non‐consanguineous marriages. In conclusion, consanguinity did not result in reproductive wastage, but was found to be an important factor in the causation of specific illnesses in offspring.