In-utero Ramadan Exposure and Child Nutrition

This study examined whether exposure to Ramadan fasting during pregnancy harms child nutrition by analysing data from nearly 1 million children across 56 countries. Contrary to expectations, the researchers found no significant negative association between in-utero Ramadan exposure and child nutrition outcomes. In fact, children exposed to Ramadan in-utero showed slightly better nutritional outcomes, possibly because families consume more nutritious foods and practice better hygiene during Ramadan, except for stunting in Muslim children exposed during the first trimester.

Key points

• Analysis of 924,198 children from 103 demographic and health surveys across 56 countries (2003-2020)
• In-utero Ramadan exposure was not significantly negatively associated with child nutrition overall
• Children exposed in-utero to Ramadan showed slightly better nutritional outcomes
• Exception: stunting was observed in Muslim children exposed to Ramadan during the first trimester
• Better outcomes attributed to increased nutritious food intake and improved hygiene practices during Ramadan

Limitations

The study uses retrospective data and a natural experiment design, which limits causal inference. The findings may not apply equally to all populations, particularly those experiencing food insecurity or economic hardship, and the mechanism of improved nutrition during Ramadan may not generalise to contexts with different dietary patterns and food availability.