Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Towards Dehydration Among Adults in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction Dehydration may result in many neurological, dermatological, and cardiovascular detrimental effects. The hot humid climate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is thought to heavily contribute to daily water loss. No article to this date assesses the public's knowledge about dehydration in the UAE. The aim of this study is to estimate dehydration knowledge level and its determinants among adults in the UAE. Methods This cross-sectional study used an online trilingual self-administered questionnaire shared via social media during the first quarter of 2022. Using a non-probability volunteer sampling method, Arabic-, English-, or Indian language-speaking adults aged 18-60 living in the UAE were included. Demographics, associated factors, knowledge level, attitudes, and practices-related data were collected, and a knowledge score was calculated. Results Four hundred and eighty-five participants were included, of which 197 (59.4%) were non-locals. The mean knowledge score of all participants on a scale of 0-20 was 11.4 (SD=2.7). Local participants had a lower mean score than non-locals (11.1 and 11.6, respectively; p=0.02). Two hundred and eighty-eight (60%) of the participants don't know the daily minimum recommended water intake. Seizures, coma, and pimples were least to be correctly identified as complications of water deprivation. In contrast to healthy participants, diseased participants seemed to have lower knowledge about dehydration (11.3 and 11.5, respectively; p=0.03); however, unexpectedly, they also reported lower reported incidence of both dehydration (OR=1.94; CI (1.16-3.23); p=0.01) and hospitalization due to dehydration (OR=8.93; CI (1.17-66.7); p=0.01). Conclusion Knowledge about dehydration of the majority of UAE's adult population was above average. Awareness campaigns should target the whole community specifically at-risk populations.