Objective: Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects approximately 2% of individuals over the age of 60. With more than two billion Muslims observing Ramadan, individuals with PD encounter specific challenges, such as deteriorating motor skills, sleep disturbances, and an increased risk of falls during fasting. Methods: Our study focused on 75 patients with idiopathic PD divided into two groups: the Ramadan Regime group, which consisted of 50 patients whose medication was adjusted to twice daily at Suhoor and Iftar, and the Nontreatment group, which included 25 patients who abstained from medication for religious reasons. Both groups were instructed to wear a Parkinson’s KinetiGraph (PKG) wrist device. Results: The study findings revealed that motor function worsened in the Nontreatment group (p<0.001) but improved in the Ramadan Regime group (p=0.007). Daytime sleepiness also significantly increased in the Nontreatment group (p<0.001). Conclusion Overall, the findings suggest that the Ramadan regime significantly enhances patient health and quality of life.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced tremendous economic and industrial growth in the petroleum, airline, maritime and construction sectors, especially since the discovery of oil reserves. Mass recruitment of low skilled or unskilled laborers from less-developed countries has been utilized to satisfy the manpower demands of these fast paced industrial developments. Such workforce recruitment has created an unusual populace demographic, with the total UAE population estimated at 8.3 million, composed of 950,000 Emiratis, with the remainder being multinational expatriate workers, with varying educational qualifications, work experience, religious beliefs, cultural practices, and native languages. These unique characteristics pose a challenge for health and safety professionals tasked with ensuring the UAE workforce adheres to specific occupational health and safety procedures. The paper discusses two case studies that employ a novel multimedia approach to raising health and safety awareness among a multinational workforce.
Accidents, Occupational ; Developing Countries ; Humans ; Multimedia ; Occupational Health ; Occupational Injuries ; Petroleum ; Religion ; Safety Management ; Transients and Migrants ; United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced tremendous economic and industrial growth in the petroleum, airline, maritime and construction sectors, especially since the discovery of oil reserves. Mass recruitment of low skilled or unskilled laborers from less-developed countries has been utilized to satisfy the manpower demands of these fast paced industrial developments. Such workforce recruitment has created an unusual populace demographic, with the total UAE population estimated at 8.3 million, composed of 950,000 Emiratis, with the remainder being multinational expatriate workers, with varying educational qualifications, work experience, religious beliefs, cultural practices, and native languages. These unique characteristics pose a challenge for health and safety professionals tasked with ensuring the UAE workforce adheres to specific occupational health and safety procedures. The paper discusses two case studies that employ a novel multimedia approach to raising health and safety awareness among a multinational workforce.
Accidents, Occupational ; Developing Countries ; Humans ; Multimedia ; Occupational Health ; Occupational Injuries ; Petroleum ; Religion ; Safety Management ; Transients and Migrants ; United Arab Emirates