Working Paper: NBER ID: w14428
Authors: Douglas Almond; Bhashkar Mazumder
Abstract: We 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.
Keywords: Health Capital; Prenatal Environment; Maternal Fasting; Ramadan; Birth Outcomes
JEL Codes: I1; I12; J1; J14
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Prenatal exposure to Ramadan (J13) | lower birth weight (J13) |
| Prenatal exposure to Ramadan (J13) | reduced gestation length (J13) |
| Prenatal exposure to Ramadan (J13) | decline in male births (J19) |
| In utero exposure to Ramadan (J13) | increased rates of disability in adulthood (I12) |
| In utero exposure to Ramadan (J13) | significant effects on proxies for wealth and earnings (D31) |