ABU DHABI // Migrant workers urgently need education about hypertension after a study found the majority of sufferers were unaware of their condition.
The study questioned 1,375 male workers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh living in the UAE. Most were found never to have had their blood pressure tested.
This has prompted researchers to call for more to be done to look after the heart health of those living in labour camps.
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, can increase the risk of heart attacks or stroke if left untreated.
“The prevalence of hypertension in a representative sample of young male South Asian immigrants living in the UAE was relatively high,” said the study’s co-author Dr Syed Shah, an associate professor at the Institute of Public Health at UAE University.
“However, the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension within this population were very low. Strategies are urgently needed to improve the awareness and control of hypertension in this large population of migrant workers in the UAE.”
The study concentrated on South Asian migrant workers, who make up two thirds of this country’s immigrant population. It questioned 433 Indians, 383 Pakistanis and 559 Bangladeshis in Abu Dhabi, most of whom were living in labour camps. The mean age of those questioned was 34.
Participants were questioned on behavioural-risk factors for hypertension, including unhealthy diet, alcohol intake, smoking, lack of physical activity, excess weight and exposure to persistent stress. They also had their blood pressure tested.
Those who had signs of hypertension were then tested on knowledge, education and awareness of the condition.
The study found that while one in three has hypertension about three quarters of those were unaware of their condition.
Six in 10 of those asked had never had their blood pressure measured.
Less than half (48.5 per cent) of the sample that was aware of their hypertension said they used antihypertensive medication. Only 8.3 per cent had their hypertension under control.
The prevalence of hypertension was higher in Indians compared to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.
“Alarmingly, 76 per cent of participants classified as hypertensive were not aware of their condition and 62 per cent of study participants had never had their blood pressure examined,” said Dr Shah. “In our study treatment and control of hypertension was very low. This underscores the urgent need for strategies to improve control of hypertension.
“Based on the findings of our study we would like to recommend that blood pressure, height and body mass measurements should be included in the medical screening tests at the time of obtaining or renewing a residency visa for expatriates living in the UAE.”
Workers should also be educated on cardiovascular disease risks and have their blood pressure regularly tested, he said.
Dr Khaliq Khan, at Dubai’s Al Sanaya Medical Clinic, said migrant workers were at higher risk of stress, which can lead to high blood pressure, because of life and work-related pressures.
He believed a clinic should be in every labour camp to educate workers on health matters.
And he said that workers also needed to make time for light exercise, which could help reduce stress and lower blood pressure.
jbell@thenational.ae
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
More on Yemen's civil war
