title: Uncovering risky behaviors of expatriate teenagers in the United Arab Emirates: A survey of tobacco use, nutrition and physical activity habits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tobacco use and unhealthy lifestyle habits amongst youth contribute to most major health issues in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and worldwide. However up to date and comprehensive statistics are not available on the current behavior, experimentation and environmental influences on teenagers in the UAE's expatriate community, who are greatly impacted by the country's culture and environment, as well as bringing influences from their cultures of origin. Expatriates comprise a majority of the UAE population, making them an important subset of the population to study.
  
  
  METHODS
  To address this gap in knowledge, a survey was conducted to collect information on tobacco use, physical activity and nutrition behaviors, anti-tobacco media/legislation effectiveness and health education gaps.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results provide a summary on each of these topics with regards to ninth grade expatriates in the UAE. We offer the first statistics on dokha use in this age group and uncover signs of underlying eating disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, we call for a tobacco use, nutrition and physical activity intervention targeted at this age group of UAE expatriates.
authors.affiliation: New York University Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. leena.asfour@med.nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Leena W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Asfour
authors.affiliation: New York University Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. zds210@nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Zachary D
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental Medicine, Professor of Global Public Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA. Michael.Weitzman@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weitzman
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. Scott.Sherman@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Scott E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014479:United Arab Emirates / Q000453:epidemiology