High prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors amongst young adults in the United Arab Emirates: the UAE Healthy Future Study

Abstract

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 risk burden among young Emirati adults. This study investigates the burden of CRFs in a sample of young Emiratis, and estimates the distribution in relation to sociodemographic and behavioral determinants. Methods Data was used from the baseline data of the UAE Healthy Future Study volunteers. The study participants were aged 18 to 40 years. The study analysis was based on self-reported questionnaires, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, as well as blood analysis. Results A total of 5167 participants were included in the analysis; 62% were males and the mean age of the sample was 25.7 years. The age-adjusted prevalence was 26.5% for obesity, 11.7% for dysglycemia, 62.7% for dyslipidemia, 22.4% for hypertension and 22.5% for central obesity. The CRFs were distributed differently when compared within social and behavioral groups. For example, obesity, dyslipidemia and central obesity in men were found higher among smokers than non-smokers (p < 0.05). And among women with lower education, all CRFs were reported significantly higher than those with higher education, except for hypertension. Most CRFs were significantly higher among men and women with positive family history of common non-communicable diseases. Conclusions CRFs are highly prevalent in the young Emirati adults of the UAE Healthy Future Study. The difference in CRF distribution among social and behavioral groups can be taken into account to target group-specific prevention measures.

The Potential Role of SCFAs in Modulating Cardiometabolic Risk by Interacting with Adiposity Parameters and Diet

“…Besides the above-mentioned association, significant positive correlations were also notable in the case of other laboratory test results-such as valeric acid and CRP, as well as caproic acid and TG. All described correlations we observed only in the group of men, which may be explained by the higher prevalence of the occurrence of cardiometabolic risk factors in men [32][33][34], which was also confirmed in our study (e.g., lower concentration of HDL and higher concentration of TG in comparison to women) (Table 1).…”

Evaluating knowledge, attitude, and physical activity levels related to cardiovascular disease in Egyptian adults with and without cardiovascular disease: a community-based cross-sectional study

“…Several individual and socio-environmental factors may be contributing to the rising CVD epidemic: a sedentary lifestyle, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, smoking, high-fat diets, and excessive alcohol use are among the modifiable risk factors for CVD [ 5 , 6 ]. According to the Global Burdens of Disease Report, high blood pressure and smoking were found to be the leading global risk factors for early death and disability across all age groups [ 1 , 7 ]. As a result, the morbidity and mortality of the disease can be avoided by creating more targeted population-based prevention programs.…”

Distribution and Association of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Youth From Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates

“…According to the findings of the study, CMRFs are extremely common among the young Emirati individuals who participated in the UAE healthy future project. The disparity in the CMRFs’ distribution across different social and behavioral groups might be considered to target preventative interventions that are group-specific [ 24 ].…”