Assessment of Obesity, Lifestyle, And Reproductive Health Needs of Female Citizens of Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (Survey‪)‬

INTRODUCTION The United Arab Emirates (UAE), an Arabian Gulf state, has a population of 3.1 million, of whom only a small minority are citizens of the country, the remainder being expatriate workers and their families. The country has undergone rapid development over the last 30 years following the discovery of oil and the formation of the country from 7 emirates. A modern infrastructure has been established, and residents have undergone significant changes in lifestyle that parallel the rapid development of their country, including transition from deficiency diseases and undernutrition to degenerative diseases associated with overnutrition. These changes may lead to a rise in risk factors for chronic diseases and changes in reproductive factors in women. Establishing prevalences for such factors is essential for public-health planning (1), and planning must be done separately for men and women in Muslim countries, such as UAE, because strict sexual segregation is followed for most health programmes.