A National Burden of Disease Study for the United Arab Emirates (UAE): Quantifying Health Differentials Between Nationals and Migrants

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country in the Arab Gulf that is home to two decidedly different and disparate populations: nationals and migrants. Understanding the health differences between these two populations is especially critical, given that the majority of migrants are low-skilled males from low- and middle-income countries. In contrast, nationals, who are citizens of the UAE, enjoy subsidized health care and education provided by the government. A National Burden of Disease Study is one methodological approach that allows for the systematic assessment of health differentials between populations. This study quantifies the difference in terms of mortality and morbidity between nationals and migrants in the UAE. Locally available health data was collected and utilized to conduct a National Burden of Disease Study. Using methods developed by the World Health Organization and Global Burden of Disease Study, this study produces a number of composite health measures: Years of Life Lost (YLL), Years Lived with Disability (YLD) and Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALY). Each measure is further assessed for significant differences by age, sex and nationality. Results show that in terms of relative size, nationals experience a greater amount of morbidity and mortality in the UAE as compared to migrants. Comparison by sex showed that age-specific YLL, YLD and DALY rates were significantly higher for nationals. While migrants may be generally healthier than their national counterparts, this study suggests that more conclusive research on the migrant experience is warranted. Such research would include cohort and follow-up studies to better assess the long-term health effects of migration