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Profiles of Doctorate Dissertations
Research Relevance and Potential Impact
This is a timely and scholarly study that addresses the complicated topic of obesity in the
UAE. The study is a welcome contribution to the sociology of the body images and attitudes
in the Gulf region, in general, and Emirates society, in particular. The research is expected to
have a significant impact on the scholarship dealing with the sociological analysis of obesity,
theoretically, methodologically and practically.
Theoretically, the thesis utilizes the phenomenological theory examining the relationship between
structure and agency. The research, contingent on fieldwork and classical and contemporary
literature, discusses various variables and factors affecting the body images including religion,
marriage, employment, and media among other variables. The study provides significant
findings and insights of the relationship between body images and social and cultural practices.
Methodologically, the study applies an eclectic approach combining quantitative (including
questionnaires, tables, charts and other illustrations) and qualitative (including interviews and
ethnographic data) methods. In addition, the thesis applies emic (insider’s views) and etic
(outsider’s view or researcher’s analysis) approaches to tackle respondents’ points of views.
This is critical for understanding the relationship between structure and agency on which
the thesis focuses. Practically, the study refers to the rise in obesity levels in the UAE with
serious implications for public health and the economy. The thesis provides recommendations
to improve obesity interventions in the UAE by examining the body image attitudes in terms of
how people think and feel about their bodies and the bodies of others.
Relevant Publications
N/P
Career Aspirations
Currently, I am working in the Employee Happiness Department in the Employee Well-Being
Section of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). In that role, I assist in creating and
implementing programs to benefit the physical and mental health of the employees of DEWA.
I want to continue to work in positions that focus on health, sustainability, and international
humanitarian work all my life. I will use my PhD skills to continue to critically engage with these
issues and to work on solutions to these complex problems in society today.