Fasting in Ramadan and Its Effect on Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure, and Blood Glucose: A Theoretical Pre-Post Statistical Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58352/tis.v50i2.979Keywords:
Ramadan fasting, BMI, blood pressure, blood glucose, pre–post analysis, Islamic health, theoretical studyAbstract
Ramadan fasting is an obligatory practice of religion in the Islamic faith performed every year by millions of Muslims around the world. Its practice does not only have serious spiritual connotations but also triggers serious physiological and metabolic effects. Considering these complex facets, this paper presents a theoretical quantitative construct which aims at examining the impacts of Ramadan fasting on some of the most important health outcomes like Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, and blood glucose levels. The analysis method is a pre- post statistical design, which allows pre- and post-assessment to be compared. Instead of basing on new empirical evidence, the manuscript is written in the form of a sequence of properly structured hypotheses, specifying the definition of certain variables, and recommending appropriate statistical procedures. The proposed recommendations are based on available biomedical evidence and existing biostatistical rules, which guarantees the methodological rigor. By illustrating how the practices of Islam could be subject to systematic quantitative research, the paper provides a strong scaffolding on which other future empirical studies could be built.
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