Table 1.
Characteristics of the South Asian Immigrants in Abu Dhabi, UAE 2012
| Characteristics | India (n = 433) | Pakistan (n = 383) | Bangladesh (n = 559) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | ||||
| Age-years (mean) | 36.3 (35.3, 37.2) | 34.8 (33.7, 35.9) | 31.7 (31.0, 32.5) | 0.000 |
| Age group-years (%) | ||||
| 18-35 (years) | 50.0 (48.7, 51.3) | 59.6 (54.4, 64.7) | 71.1 (66.3, 75.7) | 0.000 |
| 36-45 (years) | 28.1 (23.5, 32.7) | 20.5 (16.4, 24.9) | 20.8 (16.7, 25.1) | |
| 46+ (years) | 21.9 (17.8, 26.3) | 19.9 (15.8, 24.2) | 8.1 (5.1, 11.1) | |
| Education (%) | ||||
| None | 3.1 (1.6, 5.0) | 23.9 (19.6, 28.4) | 12.9 (10.2, 15.9) | 0.000 |
| Primary or middle | 23.3 (19.2, 27.6) | 31.4 (26.7, 36.2) | 46.0 (41.7, 50.2) | |
| Secondary or high school | 36.9 (32.2, 41.7) | 28.3 (23.7, 33.1) | 27.6 (23.8, 31.5) | |
| College or university | 36.7 (31.7, 41.5) | 16.4 (12.7, 20.4) | 13.5 (6.6, 22.3) | |
| Income – AED (%) | ||||
| Bottom quartile | 13.5 (10.4, 16.8) | 17.2 (7.7, 21.2) | 44.2 (13.6, 48.3) | 0.000 |
| Second quartile | 19.8 (16.2, 23.7) | 21.1 (8.6, 25.4) | 22.0 (8.9, 25.5) | |
| Third quartile | 39.5 (34.9, 44.1) | 28.2 (10.2, 32.8) | 21.5 (8.8, 25.0) | |
| Top quartile | 27.2 (23.2, 31.5) | 33.4 (11.4, 38.2) | 12.3 (6.4, 15.2) | |
| Immigrated from a rural village (%) | 64.3 (59.3, 69.1) | 56.7 (51.3, 61.9) | 83.2 (79.7, 86.3) | |
| Married (%) | 78.5 (74.1, 82.5) | 75.3 (70.5, 79.7) | 60.1 (55.7, 64.3) | |
| Do not live with immediate family (%) | 88.6 (85.0, 91.6) | 88.4 (84.7, 91.6) | 81.0 (77.4, 84.3) | |
| Type of accommodation (%) | ||||
| Shared with non-relatives | 51.4 (46.4, 56.3) | 41.1 (36.1, 46.2) | 58.6 (54.5, 62.8) | 0.000 |
| Shared with family | 10.5 (7.6, 13.7) | 15.0 (11.8, 19.3) | 7.8 (5.6, 10.2) | |
| Single accommodation | 13.3 (10.1, 16.8) | 11.1 (8.1, 14.5) | 8.9 (6.6, 11.5) | |
| Live with sponsor | 13.3 (10.1, 16.8) | 16.7 (13.0, 20.7) | 12.2 (9.5, 15.1) | |
| Live in a labor camp | 11.5 (8.5, 14.8) | 16.1 (12.5, 20.1) | 12.4 (9.7, 15.3) | |
| Years in UAE (%) | ||||
| Up to 1 year | 11.2 (8.1, 14.6) | 10.5 (7.4, 14.1) | 10.3 (7.6, 13.3) | 0.000 |
| 2 to 5 years | 31.3 (26.6, 36.2) | 30.5 (25.5, 35.7) | 38.6 (34.1, 43.2) | |
| 6 to 10 years | 21.2 (17.1, 25.6) | 17.1 (13.1, 21.4) | 23.1 (19.3, 27.1) | |
| >10 years | 36.3 (31.4, 41.3) | 41.9 (36.5, 47.4) | 28.0 (23.9, 32.2) | |
| b | ||||
| Occupation (%) | ||||
| Driver | 21.5 (17.5, 25.7) | 33.9 (29.1, 38.8) | 19.2 (16.0, 22.7) | 0.000 |
| Laborer | 14.1 (10.8, 17.2) | 12.8 (9.5,16.4) | 20.3 (17.0, 23.8) | |
| Construction worker | 12.6 (9.5, 16.1) | 8.3 (5.7, 11.4) | 13.1 (10.4, 16.1) | |
| Agriculture worker | 8.2 (5.6,11.1) | 25.0 (20.7, 29.6) | 20.5 (17.2, 24.1) | |
| Salesman | 12.6 (9.5, 16.1) | 3.1 (1.6, 5.1) | 3.3 (2.2, 5.4) | |
| Professional, office worker | 10.8 (7.9, 14.1) | 6.7 (4.4, 9.5) | 3.6 (2.2, 5.4) | |
| Business shop keeper | 5.4 (3.4, 7.8) | 4.2 (2.4, 6.5) | 4.0 (2.5, 5.8) | |
| Hospitality worker (cook, waiter) | 8.2 (5.7, 11.1) | 0.8 (0.5, 11.0) | 6.5 (4.6, 8.8) | |
| Tailor | 3.6 (1.9, 5.7) | 1.9 (0.7, 3.5) | 6.8 (4.8, 9.1) | |
| Other | 3.1 (1.6, 5.0) | 3.3 (1.7, 5.4) | 2.7 (1.5, 4.3) | |
| Family history of hypertension (%) | 14.8 (11.4, 18.8) | 15.0 (11.5, 19.1) | 23.2 (19.6, 27.1) | 0.001 |
| Family history of diabetes (%) | 15.9 (12.4, 19.9) | 8.1 (5.5, 11.4) | 8.9 (6.6. 11.7) | 0.000 |
| Body mass index – kg/m [2] (mean) | 31.5 (21.1, 41.9) | 26.6 (25.1, 27.9) | 26.2 (24.2, 28.2) | 0.000 |
| Waist-to-hip ratio (mean) | 0.93 (0.92, 0.94) | 0.93 (0.92, 0.94) | 0.92 (0.90, 0.93) | 0.033 |
| Waist circumference – cm (mean) | 89.5 (88.5, 90.5) | 92.9 (90.8, 93.5) | 85.6 (84.7, 86.6) | 0.000 |
| Smoking (%) | 34.3 (29.6, 39.3) | 35.8 (30.1, 41.0) | 49.1 (44.7, 53.4) | 0.000 |
| Smokeless tobacco (%) | 5.2 (3.1, 7.9) | 11.1 (8.0, 14.9) | 15.6 (12.6, 19.1) | 0.000 |
| Exposure to second hand tobacco (%) | 40.7 (35.8, 45.8) | 49.7 (44.4, 55.0) | 46.7 (42.4, 51.1) | 0.000 |
| Drinking alcohol – ever (%) | 20.1 (16.1, 24.4) | 3.1 (1.6, 5.5) | 7.8 (5.6, 10.4) | 0.000 |
| Walk 7 days a week (%) | 81.1 (76.7, 84.9) | 85.9 (81.9, 89.4) | 77.2 (73.3, 80.8) | 0.006 |
| Reported vigorous physical activity (%) | 17.1 (13.5, 20.6) | 18.8 (14.8, 22.7) | 18.6 (15.4, 21.8) | 0.774 |
| Reported moderate physical activity (%) | 20.5 (16.7, 24.4) | 18.9 (14.8, 22.7) | 37.0 (33.1, 41.0) | 0.000 |
| BP measurement – never (%) | 57.3 (51.9, 62.4) | 62.7 (57.2, 67.9) | 68.8 (64.0, 73.2) | 0.004 |
| Hypertension (%) | 34.5 (30.1, 39.1) | 28.2 (23.6, 32.7) | 28.8 (25.0, 32.6) | 0.073 |
| Physician diagnosed diabetes (%) | 10.8 (7.9, 13.8) | 6.5 (4.0, 9.0) | 6.8 (4.7, 8.9) | 0.030 |
| HbA1c ≥ 6.5 % | 11.6 (1.6, 21.6) | 4.3 (−0.4, 13.4) | 9.1 (1.2, 19.4) | 0.618 |
| Systolic Blood Pressure – mmHg (mean) | 132.6 (130.9, 134.4) | 129.2 (127.4, 131.0) | 129.1 (127.7, 130.5) | 0.003 |
| Diastolic Blood Pressure – mmHg (mean) | 79.6 (78.4, 80.8) | 75.9 (74.7, 77.2) | 76.7 (75.6, 77.7) | 0.000 |