1
|
Ong AKW, Yee AL, Fong AJH, Arasoo VJT, Ramadas A. Effects of Ramadan fasting on fetal health: A systematic review. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2023; 63:625-637. [PMID: 37283305 DOI: 10.1111/ajo.13706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ramadan fasting (RF) is mandatory for all healthy Muslims in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Although pregnant women are exempt from fasting, many make the decision to practise it. Concerns that fasting during pregnancy harms the fetus remain, as there are no firm recommendations regarding its safety. OBJECTIVES To provide a systematic review on the effects of RF on fetal health. SEARCH STRATEGY We conducted a literature search for peer-reviewed articles through Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) until 31 December 2021. SELECTION CRITERIA All case-control and observational cohort studies that reported on fetal outcomes of pregnant women who underwent RF for at least one day during pregnancy are included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two researchers independently reviewed the eligibility of all studies. A third researcher resolved any conflict between researchers. Findings are extracted from eligible papers and presented as narratives. MAIN RESULTS Fourteen articles are included based on eligibility criteria, with a total sample size of 2889. Studies demonstrate negative associations between RF and neonatal weight, amniotic fluid index, preterm birth and growth parameters mainly during the second and third trimesters. However, the evidence is not strongly supported. CONCLUSION There is limited data to elucidate the relationship between RF and fetal health, hence the need for more studies to provide a better understanding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Khai Weyn Ong
- Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Anne Li Yee
- Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Adrian Jing Hong Fong
- Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | | | - Amutha Ramadas
- Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Feng D, Wang Q, Huang S, Lang X, Ding F, Wang W. The Effect of Perceived Stress, Family Companionship, and Mental Health on the Subjective Happiness of Chinese Healthcare Workers: A Mixed Research Method. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12058. [PMID: 36231357 PMCID: PMC9566625 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Aim: This study aimed to understand the impact of perceived stress on the subjective happiness of Chinese healthcare workers (HCWs) and to further explore the chain-mediating role of family companionship and mental health. Background: In the face of tense doctor-patient relationships; a heavy workload; long working hours; seemingly endless shifts; potential professional title promotions; work performance assessments; and the difficult balance between family, work, and other aspects of life, HCWs are often under great pressure, which can endanger mental health and reduce subjective happiness. However, the role of healthcare workers' active participation in family companionship in mental health and subjective happiness is not clear. Method: We used a mixed research design to collect data in two locations (Hospital A and Hospital B) in Wuhan, China. A self-distributed questionnaire was assigned to HCWs through the Research Electronic Data Capture survey. A total of 368 valid surveys were obtained. Results: Hospital A's perceived stress level and mental health problems were more severe, while Hospital B had a higher subjective happiness score and more time to spend with their families. Subjective happiness was affected by children, education, occupation, health status, commuting time, and the scores of perceived stress and depression. The scores of perceived stress and mental health were significantly negatively associated with subjective happiness and family companionship, and there was a significant positive correlation between subjective happiness and family companionship. The results also showed that family companionship and mental health acted as serial mediators between perceived stress and subjective happiness. However, family companionship did not play a mediating role between perceived stress and subjective happiness. Most HCWs had work-family conflicts, and a high amount of work pressure and feelings of powerlessness and not having sufficient time were common when they accompanied their families. Conclusions: HCWs had a high level of perceived stress and psychological distress, and their subjective happiness score was lower than that of the general population. Many HCWs experienced negative emotions when taking care of their families. Only a small number of people had enough time to spend time with their families and perform more prominently in busier hospitals. More importantly, perceived stress can indirectly have an impact on subjective happiness through a chain-mediating effect of family companionship and mental health, and family companionship may not always promote subjective happiness unless mental health is maintained. Therefore, in the future, we can consider carrying out interventions based on family companionship and mental health among HCWs to promote the healthy and harmonious development of individuals, families, and hospitals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danni Feng
- Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- School of Nursing, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Quan Wang
- Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- School of Nursing, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Sufang Huang
- Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Xiaorong Lang
- Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- School of Nursing, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Fengfei Ding
- Department of Pharmacology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Uludağ E, Göral Türkcü S. Ramadan Fasting as a Religious Obligation: A Qualitative Study on Opinions and Experiences of Muslim Pregnant Women about Fasting in Turkey. JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND HEALTH 2022; 61:2960-2974. [PMID: 35612646 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-022-01588-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine opinions and experiences of Muslim pregnant women about Ramadan fasting in Turkey. The study had a descriptive, phenomenological design and included 17 Muslim pregnant women living in Turkey. Content analysis and word cloud analysis were performed. The content analysis revealed two themes. The most frequent words in the word cloud analysis were fasting, pregnancy, Ramadan, fast, religious duty, health, observing a missed fast, relief, concern, baby, thirsty and hungry. The findings of the study showed that religious beliefs, experiences, family and society pressured the pregnant women to keep Ramadan fasts. However, due to feeling worried about their own physical and psychological health and their infants, some of the women did not go on a fast. It can be recommended that pregnant women wanting to keep their fasts should be offered information about possible risks of fasting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elif Uludağ
- Faculty of Health Science, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kumar S, Diamond T. Ramadan Fasting and Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnant Women with Diabetes Mellitus: Literature Review. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:900153. [PMID: 35813638 PMCID: PMC9263982 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.900153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an emerging Muslim and diabetic population in the United States and other Western countries and majority of pregnant women and patients with diabetes mellitus choose to fast during Ramadan. Fasting during Ramadan in pregnant women with diabetes may represent a 'perfect storm' of metabolic disturbances including hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia and ketosis. Recent continuous and flash glucose monitoring data suggests increased glycemic variability (fasting hypo- and post-Iftar hyperglycemia) in non-pregnant patients with diabetes during Ramadan. Only five small-scale studies, predominantly focused on women with gestational diabetes mellitus in Muslim-majority nations have explored maternal glycemic outcomes during Ramadan which is associated with lower mean blood glucose levels and higher frequency of fasting hypoglycemia. Data is limited however on important clinical outcomes such as symptomatic and serious hypoglycemia requiring hospitalization. Results have been conflicting regarding maternal Ramadan fasting and association with fetal outcomes in women without diabetes. Only one recently published study reported on perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with gestational diabetes which found no effect of Ramadan exposure on mean birthweight or macrosomia frequency but lower neonatal hypoglycemia prevalence, however a significant limitation was lack of documentation of maternal fasting status. At this stage, due to paucity of data, the current medical recommendation is against Ramadan fasting for pregnant Muslim women with diabetes. Large-scale population-based studies are warranted regarding maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant fasting women with diabetes and such studies should characterize maternal fasting status and have meaningful and consistent clinical outcomes. High-quality data derived from these studies can assist clinicians in providing more evidence-based advice to safely navigate both mother and fetus through a potentially challenging pregnancy.
Collapse
|
5
|
Ramadan Fasting during Pregnancy and Health Outcomes in Offspring: A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13103450. [PMID: 34684451 PMCID: PMC8540108 DOI: 10.3390/nu13103450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, during which fasting is obligatory for all healthy individuals. Although pregnant women are exempt from this Islamic law, the majority nevertheless choose to fast. This review aims to identify the effects of Ramadan fasting on the offspring of Muslim mothers, particularly on fetal growth, birth indices, cognitive effects and long-term effects. A systematic literature search was conducted until March 2020 in Web of Science, Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase and Google Scholar. Studies were evaluated based on a pre-defined quality score ranging from 0 (low quality) to 10 (high quality), and 43 articles were included. The study quality ranged from 2 to 9 with a mean quality score of 5.4. Only 3 studies had a high quality score (>7), of which one found a lower birth weight among fasting women. Few medium quality studies found a significant negative effect on fetal growth or birth indices. The quality of articles that investigated cognitive and long-term effects was poor. The association between Ramadan fasting and health outcomes of offspring is not supported by strong evidence. To further elucidate the effects of Ramadan fasting, larger prospective and retrospective studies with novel designs are needed.
Collapse
|
6
|
Parveen R, Khakwani M, Latif M, Tareen AU. Maternal and Perinatal outcome after Ramadan Fasting. Pak J Med Sci 2020; 36:894-898. [PMID: 32704259 PMCID: PMC7372656 DOI: 10.12669/pjms.36.5.2612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: To determine maternal and perinatal outcome after Ramadan fasting during pregnancy Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nishtar Hospital, Multan from May to October 2019. A total of 226 women attending labour room, aged 18–35 years, having gestational amenorrhoea 15 – 40 weeks of gestation were included. Women who fasted for more than 15 days were compared with those who did not fast or fasted for less than 15 days in the month of Ramadan. Demographical profile along with maternal and perinatal outcomes were compared between the study groups considering p value less than 0.05 as significant. Results: Out of 226 women, 58 (25.7%) fulfilled the criteria to be included in the fasting group while remaining 168 (74.3%) were slotted in the non-fasting group. There was no difference (p value > 0.05) in between the both group with respect to demographical characteristics except significantly less women were employed in the fasting group (p value=0.0246). No statistical difference was found in terms of maternal or perinatal outcomes between both the study groups. Conclusion: Fasting women were not found to have poor maternal and fetal outcomes when compared to non-fasting women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rashida Parveen
- Rashida Parveen, Department of Obstetrics and Gyne, Unit-II, Nishtar Medical University & Hospital, Multan, Pakistan
| | - Mehnaz Khakwani
- Mehnaz Khakwani, Department of Obstetrics and Gyne, Unit-II, Nishtar Medical University & Hospital, Multan, Pakistan
| | - Munazza Latif
- Munazza Latif, Department of Obstetrics and Gyne, Unit-II, Nishtar Medical University & Hospital, Multan, Pakistan
| | - Ayesha Uzaima Tareen
- Ayesha Uzaima Tareen, Department of Obstetrics and Gyne, Unit-II, Nishtar Medical University & Hospital, Multan, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Glazier JD, Hayes DJL, Hussain S, D'Souza SW, Whitcombe J, Heazell AEP, Ashton N. The effect of Ramadan fasting during pregnancy on perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2018; 18:421. [PMID: 30359228 PMCID: PMC6202808 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-018-2048-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Although exempt, many pregnant Muslim women partake in the daily fast during daylight hours during the month of Ramadan. In other contexts an impoverished diet during pregnancy impacts on birth weight. The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether Ramadan fasting by pregnant women affects perinatal outcomes. Primary outcomes investigated were perinatal mortality, preterm birth and small for gestational age (SGA) infants. Secondary outcomes investigated were stillbirth, neonatal death, maternal death, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, congenital abnormalities, serious neonatal morbidity, birth weight, preterm birth and placental weight. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomised controlled trials was conducted in EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, the Health Management Information Consortium and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts. Studies from any year were eligible. Studies reporting predefined perinatal outcomes in pregnancies exposed to Ramadan fasting were included. Cohort studies with no comparator group or that considered fasting outside pregnancy were excluded, as were studies assuming fasting practice based solely upon family name. Quality of included studies was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool for assessing risk of bias in non-randomised studies. Analyses were performed in STATA. Results From 375 records, 22 studies of 31,374 pregnancies were included, of which 18,920 pregnancies were exposed to Ramadan fasting. Birth weight was reported in 21 studies and was not affected by maternal fasting (standardised mean difference [SMD] 0.03, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.05). Placental weight was significantly lower in fasting mothers (SMD -0.94, 95% CI -0.97 to -0.90), although this observation was dominated by a single large study. No data were presented for perinatal mortality. Ramadan fasting had no effect on preterm delivery (odds ratio 0.99, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.37) based on 5600 pregnancies (1193 exposed to Ramadan fasting). Conclusions Ramadan fasting does not adversely affect birth weight although there is insufficient evidence regarding potential effects on other perinatal outcomes. Further studies are needed to accurately determine whether Ramadan fasting is associated with adverse maternal or neonatal outcome. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12884-018-2048-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jocelyn D Glazier
- Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, 5th Floor (Research), St Mary's Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK
| | - Dexter J L Hayes
- Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, 5th Floor (Research), St Mary's Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK
| | - Sabiha Hussain
- Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, 5th Floor (Research), St Mary's Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK
| | - Stephen W D'Souza
- Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, 5th Floor (Research), St Mary's Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK
| | - Joanne Whitcombe
- Trust Library, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Education South, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK
| | - Alexander E P Heazell
- Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, 5th Floor (Research), St Mary's Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK
| | - Nick Ashton
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, 3rd Floor Core Technology Facility, 46 Grafton Street, Manchester, M13 9NT, UK.
| |
Collapse
|