{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T23:56:49Z","timestamp":1785455809566,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":61,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,11]],"date-time":"2026-03-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773187200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Summer Undergraduate Research Experience 2024 at the United Arab Emirates University"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Anaemia remains a major global public health concern, disproportionately affecting young women of reproductive age. University students represent a nutritionally vulnerable group; however, males are often underrepresented in anaemia surveillance. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of anaemia among university students in the UAE and to identify gender-specific determinants.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional study was conducted among students aged 18\u201335\u202fyears at a large university in the UAE. Sociodemographic data were collected via questionnaire. Haemoglobin concentration was measured using the HemoCue Hb 201\u202f+\u202fsystem. Anthropometric measures and body composition were assessed, and dietary intake was evaluated using a 24-h recall.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The median age was 20.0\u202fyears (IQR: 19.0\u201322.0) and median BMI was 23.7\u202fkg\/m\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      (IQR: 20.7\u201327.6). Compared with males, females were more likely to be underweight and less likely to be obese, exhibited lower fat-free, muscle, and bone mass, higher fat mass percentage, and lower dietary intakes. Overall anaemia prevalence was 49.10% (95%CI 45.30\u201352.90), with significantly higher rates among females (60.70, 95%CI 56.20\u201365.20) than males (24.60, 95%CI 18.80\u201330.40). No determinants were identified among females. In males, anaemia was inversely associated with height, fat-free mass, muscle mass, bone mass, and dietary iron and zinc intakes; height emerged as the strongest independent predictor.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Anaemia is highly prevalent among UAE university students. These findings highlight the importance of including male students in screening and prevention strategies and adopting gender-specific approaches to anaemia control.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1780083","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,11]],"date-time":"2026-03-11T16:43:56Z","timestamp":1773247436000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Prevalence and determinants of anaemia among university students: a gender-based analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Carine","family":"Platat","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University","place":["Al Ain, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ayah A.","family":"Ghanayem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University","place":["Al Ain, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bakhita H. S.","family":"Alameri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University","place":["Al Ain, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amal H. S.","family":"Alderei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University","place":["Al Ain, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fatima G. S.","family":"Alderei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University","place":["Al Ain, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alia M. A.","family":"Alkaabi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University","place":["Al Ain, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meznah M. D.","family":"Almansoori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University","place":["Al Ain, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rubina","family":"Sabir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University","place":["Al Ain, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ihab","family":"Tewfik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Anaemia fact sheet","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref2","first-page":"S59","article-title":"The clinical and 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