2,170 research outputs found
The effects of maternal fasting during Ramadan on birth and adult outcomes
No full textWe use the Islamic holy month of Ramadan as a natural experiment for evaluating the short and long-term effects of fasting during pregnancy. Using Michigan natality data we show that in utero exposure to Ramadan among Arab births results in lower birthweight and reduced gestation length. Preconception exposure to Ramadan is also associated with fewer male births. Using Census data in Uganda we also find that Muslims who were born nine months after Ramadan are 22 percent (p =0.02) more likely to be disabled as adults. Effects are found for vision, hearing, and especially for mental (or learning) disabilities. This may reflect the persistent effect of disruptions to early fetal development. We find no evidence that negative selection in conceptions during Ramadan accounts for our results. Nevertheless, caution in interpreting these results is warranted until our findings are corroborated in other settings. ; Not for Citation.Prenatal care ; Ramadan ; Fasting (Islam)
Long-Term Health Effects on the Next Generation of Ramadan Fasting During Pregnancy
No full textEach year, many pregnant women fast from dawn to sunset during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Medical theory suggests that this may have negative long-term health effects on their offspring. Building upon the work of Almond and Mazumder (2008), and using Indonesian crosssectional data, I show that people who were exposed to Ramadan fasting during their mother's pregnancy have a poorer general health and are sick more often than people who were not exposed. This effect is especially pronounced among older people, who, when exposed, also report health problems more often that are indicative of coronary heart problems and type 2 diabetes. The exposed are a bit smaller in body size and weigh less. Among Muslims born during, and in the months after, Ramadan, the share of males is lower, which is most likely to be caused by death before birth. I show that these effects are unlikely to be an artifact of common health shocks, correlated to the occurrence of Ramadan, or o f fasting mainly occurring among women who, irrespective of fasting or not, would have had unhealthier children anyway.health, Ramadan, pregnancy, nutrition, Indonesia
Health Capital and the Prenatal Environment: The Effect of Maternal Fasting During Pregnancy
No full textWe use the Islamic holy month of Ramadan as a natural experiment in fasting and fetal health. In Michigan births 1989-2006, we find prenatal exposure to Ramadan among Arab mothers results in lower birthweight and reduced gestation length. Exposure to Ramadan in the first month of gestation is also associated with a sizable reduction in the number of male births. In Census data for Uganda, Iraq, and the US we find strong associations between in utero exposure to Ramadan and the likelihood of being disabled as an adult. Effects are particularly large for mental (or learning) disabilities. We also find significant effects on proxies for wealth, earnings, the sex composition of the adult population, and more suggestive evidence of effects on schooling. We find no evidence that negative selection in conceptions during Ramadan accounts for our findings, suggesting that avoiding Ramadan exposure during pregnancy is costly or the long-term effects of fasting unknown.
The Effect of Religiosity and Religious Festivals on Positional Concerns: An Experimental Investigation of Ramadan
No full textThis paper examines the effect of religion on positional concerns using survey experiments. We focus on two of the dimensions of religion – degree of religiosity and religious festivals. By conducting the experiments during both the most important day of Ramadan (the Night of Power) and a day outside Ramadan, we find that Ramadan overall has a small and negative impact on positional concerns. Detailed analyses based on the sorting of individuals' degree of religiosity reveal that the decrease in the degree of positional concerns during Ramadan is mainly explained by a decrease in positionality among individuals with a low degree of religiosity. We also discuss the broader welfare implications of our findings.religion, positional concerns, Ramadan, Islam
Piety and Profits: Stock Market Anomaly during the Muslim Holy Month
No full textObserved by more than 1.5 billion Muslims, Ramadan is one of the most celebrated religious rituals in the world. We investigate stock returns during Ramadan for 14 predominantly Muslim countries over the years 1989-2007. The results show that stock returns during Ramadan are almost nine times higher and less volatile than during the rest of the year. No discernible difference in trading volume is recorded. We find these results consistent with a notion that Ramadan positively affects investor psychology, as it promotes feelings of solidarity and social identity among Muslims world-wide, leading to optimistic beliefs that extend to investment decisions.Ramadan Effect; Behavioral Finance; Market Efficiency; Religion
Investor mood, herding and the Ramadan effect
No full textIn view of evidence linking herding and social mood, we examine whether the positive mood documented during Ramadan translates into higher herding compared to non-Ramadan days. Drawing on a sample of seven majority Muslim countries, we report significant herding during Ramadan in most of our sample markets. Additionally, we show that herding appears significantly stronger within rather than outside Ramadan for most tests whereby its significance is manifested on both Ramadan- and non-Ramadan-days. Overall, herding significance within/outside Ramadan exhibits some variation in its levels across markets in relation to variables reflective of market states, both domestically (market returns; market volume) and internationally (US market returns; US investors’ sentiment; global financial crisis) market states
Impact of Ramadan intermittent fasting on cognitive function in trained cyclists: a pilot study
No full textThis study assessed selected measures of cognitive function in trained cyclists who observed daylight fasting during Ramadan. Eleven cyclists volunteered to participate (age: 21.6±4.8 years, VO 2 max: 57.7±5.6 ml • kg-1 • min-1) and were followed for 2 months. Cognitive function (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), Reaction Time index (RTI) and Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP) tests) and sleep architecture (ambulatory EEG) were assessed: before Ramadan (BR), in the 1st week (RA1) and 4th week of Ramadan (RA4), and 2 weeks post-Ramadan (PR). Both cognitive tests were performed twice per day: before and after Ramadan at 8-10 a.m. and 4-6 p.m., and during Ramadan at 4-6 p.m. and 0-2 a.m., respectively. Training load (TL) by the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) method and wellness (Hooper index) were measured daily. If the TL increased over the study period, this variable was stable during Ramadan. The perceived fatigue and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) increased at RA4. Sleep patterns and architecture showed clear disturbances, with significant increases in the number of awakenings and light sleep durations during Ramadan (RA1 and RA4), together with decreased durations of deep and REM sleep stages at PR. RTI (simple and multiple reaction index) reaction and movement times did not vary over the study period. The RVP test showed reduced false alarms during Ramadan, suggesting reduced impulsivity. Overall accuracy significantly increased at RA1, RA4 and PR compared to baseline. At RA4, the accuracy was higher at 0-2 a.m. compared to 4-6 p.m. Despite the observed disturbances in sleep architecture, Ramadan fasting did not negatively impact the cognitive performance of trained cyclists from the Middle East
Detection and Forecasting of Islamic Calendar Effects in Time Series Data: Revisited
No full textThis paper is an attempt to revisit the pioneering work of Riazuddin and Khan (2002). A complete business cycle has been elapsed (2002-2010) since their study, so there is need to review the results with additional information. This revisited attempt, based on a theoretically specified framework, arrived at similar results and found significant impact of Islamic calendar. The Islamic months of Ramadan and Zilhaj have positive impact on currency holdings and negative impact on deposits. Although stylized facts indicate that consumer prices are significantly higher during Ramadan but econometric investigation rejects the upward exogenous shifts in prices during Ramadan. Therefore, structural relationship analyzed in co-integration framework has shown that inflation is not directly impacted by the Ramadan but indirectly through increase in its determinants. Inflationary tendencies during Ramadan are not due to exogenous increase by producers and retailers but possibly due to demand surge in the wake of redistribution of income. The months of June and December have positive effects on deposits and negative effects on currency in circulation indicating the presence of window dressing. Finally, as seasonal factors have important role in determining economic time series, therefore, ignoring those in monthly time series models will lead to omitted variable bias and inappropriate forecasts.currency in circulation, deposits, cointegration, seasonal factors
Azam baharu sempena Ramadan
No full textKemeriahan Pesta Bola Sepak Euro 2016 yang K bakal tiba semakin terasa. Kemungkinan ramai yang teruja untuk berjaga malam bagi menyaksikan pasukan pilihan mereka. Namun sedar ataupun tidak, adakah kita juga merasa teruja untuk beribadat pada malam-malam Ramadan ini? Berapa ramai yang membuat persiapan bagi menemui bulan istimewa ini? Atau mungkin ramai yang lebih teruja membuat persiapan hari raya? Kaum Muslimin diajak berazam memenuhi Ramadan ini dengan pelbagai aktiviti ibadah bagi meraih ganjaran takwa yang hanya datang setahun sekali. Semua ini dapat dilakukan dengan mula memasang niat untuk berpuasa bersungguh-sungguh selain mempertingkatkan ibadah dan amalan kebajikan lain
An Analysis of Ramadan Effect by GJR-GARCH Model: Case of Borsa Istanbul
No full textAlthough there are a lot of studies testing the calendar effect in BIST, there are limited numbers of studies testing the Ramadan effect. In this study, the period of 05 August 1997-24 October 2014 is tested by the GJR-GARCH(1,1) model on the basis of BIST 30, 100, all, second national, sectors and sub-sectors. In some of the models, the dummy variable of Ramadan did not have significant coefficients. In the models that provide significant value of the dummy variable of Ramadan, coefficients of this variable are negative. This shows that, in the Ramadan, return rates of the second national index, chemistry, and manifacturing, textile, trust companies sectors are affected negatively. Any significant result could not be found whether Ramadan has effect upon other sector indices. Findings are in the direction that even if the month of Ramadan generally doesn't increase the average return, it makes a positive impact on the market by reducing the volatility of returns
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