Ramadan Fasting and Health Perception among Pregnant Muslim Women: A Cross-Sectional Study in Turkey

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between Muslim women's fasting status during pregnancy and their perceptions of health. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study was carried out on 250 pregnant women in a state hospital in Manisa. The study data were collected using two forms: “Pregnant’s Information Form” and “Health Perception Scale”. Results: 70 pregnant women fasted and 180 pregnant women did not fast. There was a statistically significant difference between the average Health Perception Scale scores of the pregnant women regarding education, occupation, age at first marriage, socioeconomic status,  the number of their pregnancy, number of children, and whether they made regular visits to doctors. It was observed that the average Health Perception Scale score was higher in the non-fasting group than in the fasting group. Conclusions: It was determined that one in four pregnant women reported fasting during their pregnancy and that the fasting behavior of the pregnant women was influenced by their age, education level, occupation, family type, and whether they had a chronic disease. The total average Health Perception Score was higher in the non-fasting group than in the fasting group.