The Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Elderly Muslims’ Quality of Life

Introduction: Ramadan fasting may affect the quality of life of elderly Muslims and cause some challenges. The present study aimed to assess the effect of Ramadan fasting on the quality of life of elderly Muslims. Methods: This observational-correlational study was conducted throughout the natural intervention of Ramadan fasting in 2016 when the length of daily fasting was about 16 hours. In total, 100 individuals aged more than 60 years were selected from the patients referring to the health centers in Rafsanjan, Iran via convenience sampling. Data were collected using the 12-item short-form survey of quality of life (SF-12) at three measurement time points before (T1), one day after (T2), and one month after Ramadan (T3). Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 18 using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A significant difference was observed in the total score of quality of life between the three measurement time points (T1: 47.02±14.15, T2: 50.76±17.06, T3: 51.53±16.79; P 0.0001). Conclusion: According to the results, the quality of life of elderly Muslims improved through Ramadan fasting.