Research Article
Air Quality and Respiratory Health among Adolescents from the United Arab Emirates
Table 2
Environmental exposure and behavioural profiles of study participants (
,363).
| | Variable | Classification | Male
(%) | Female
(%) | Overall sample
(%) |
| | Location of residence | Abu Dhabi | 554 (19.4) | 897 (25.6) | 1451 (22.8) | | Al Ain | 617 (21.6) | 558 (15.9) | 1175 (18.5) | | Western | 233 (8.2) | 143 (4.1) | 376 (5.9) | | Ajman | 97 (3.5) | 159 (4.6) | 256 (4.1) | | Dubai | 330 (11.8) | 254 (7.3) | 584 (9.3) | | Fujairah | 195 (7.0) | 315 (9.1) | 510 (8.2) | | RAK | 301 (10.8) | 350 (10.1) | 651 (10.5) | | Sharjah | 480 (17.2) | 667 (19.3) | 1147 (18.4) | | UAQ | 14 (0.5) | 132 (3.8) | 146 (2.3) |
| | Reside near industrial plants/gas stations/construction sites | Yes | 378 (16.5) | 417 (14.5) | 795 (15.4) |
| | Reside in proximity to overhead power lines and/or plants | Yes | 311 (14.2) | 254 (9.2) | 565 (11.4) |
| | Exposed to tobacco smoke at home or with friends | Not at all | 1229 (50.3) | 668 (12.4) | 3246 (60.5) | | Occasionally | 846 (34.6) | 606 (20.7) | 1452 (27.1) | | Daily | 369 (15.1) | 299 (10.2) | 668 (12.4) |
| | Residence built prior to 1988 | Yes | 485 (23.7) | 470 (20.1) | 955 (21.8) |
| | Residential air conditioning | Yes | 2388 (98.6) | 2937 (99.2) | 5399 (99.0) |
| | Residential maintenance (cooling air filtration duct cleaning) | Yearly | 593 (27.5) | 711 (27.6) | 1327 (27.7) | | As needed | 1384 (64.1) | 1732 (67.3) | 3145 (65.7) | | Rarely | 182 (8.4) | 131 (5.1) | 318 (6.6) |
| | Flooring in the main living area of residence | Wall-to-wall carpet | 415 (17.9) | 486 (16.8) | 909 (17.2) | | Ceramic tiles | 1478 (63.6) | 2009 (69.6) | 3533 (67.0) | | Wooden floors | 33 (1.4) | 26 (0.9) | 61 (1.2) | | Heavy rugs | 397 (17.1) | 364 (12.6) | 772 (14.6) |
| | Cooking method | Electricity | 105 (4.4) | 107 (3.6) | 217 (4.0) | | Gas | 2251 (94.9) | 2827 (95.9) | 5141 (95.4) | | Microwave | 15 (0.6) | 14 (0.5) | 33 (0.6) |
| | Residential humidity | Yes | 396 (18.6) | 473 (17.7) | 887 (18.3) |
| | Pets in residence | Yes | 547 (22.8) | 679 (22.9) | 1226 (22.8) |
| | Pests (e.g., cockroaches, rodents) present in residence | No | 909 (39.9) | 1192 (41.1) | 2101 (40.6) | | Yes | 365 (16.0) | 452 (15.6) | 817 (15.8) | | Sometimes | 1006 (44.1) | 1255 (43.3) | 2261 (43.7) |
| | Regular use of pesticides and insecticides at residence | No | 659 (29.6) | 736 (26.2) | 1395 (27.7) | | Yes | 1417 (63.7) | 1843 (65.5) | 3260 (64.7) | | Sometimes | 147 (6.6) | 234 (8.3) | 381 (7.6) |
| | Residential exposure to arts/crafts/ceramics/stain | Yes | 406 (18.1) | 567 (19.8) | 973 (19.0) |
| | Concerned about air pollution in own neighbourhood | Extreme | 402 (17.4) | 468 (16.2) | 870 (16.7) | | Moderate | 581 (25.1) | 794 (27.4) | 1375 (26.4) | | Slight | 580 (25.1) | 732 (25.3) | 1312 (25.2) | | Not at all | 750 (32.4) | 899 (31.1) | 1649 (31.7) |
| | Ever smoked | Yes | 779 (28.5) | 233 (7.0) | 1047 (17.0) |
| | Currently smoking | Yes | 624 (24.0) | 174 (94.5) | 798 (13.9) |
| | Ever used illegal drugs | Yes | 68 (2.5) | 19 (0.6) | 87 (1.5) |
| | Ever used unconventional drugs | Yes | 532 (19.7) | 1199 (37.3) | 1731 (29.3) |
| | Engages in physical activity | Yes | 2601 (98.2) | 3218 (95.1) | 5819 (96.4) |
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