Knowledge, attitude, and practices of Ramadan fasting in adult type 2 diabetes mellitus: A nationwide survey in Bangladesh in 2021

Authors

  • Md Fariduddin Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • Md Abu Jar Gaffar Lecturer, Department of Physiology, Naogaon Medical College, Naogaon, Bangladesh
  • Shahjada Selim Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, BSMMU, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • AKM Aminul Islam Associate Professor, Sir Salimullah Medical College & Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • Nusrat Sultana Assistant Professor, Department of Endocrinology, BSMMU, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • A B M Kamrul Hasan Assistant Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Mymensingh Medical College, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
  • Farhana Akter Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Chittagong Medical College, Chattogram, Bangladesh
  • Md Jahangir Alam Assistant Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College, Bogura, Bangladesh
  • Abdul Hannan Tarek Assistant Professor, North East Medical College & Hospital, Sylhet, Bangladesh
  • Ajit Kumar Paul Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Mainamoti Medical College, Comilla, Bangladesh
  • Md Qamrul Hassan Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Rangpur Medical College Hospital, Rangpur, Bangladesh
  • Md Anwar Hussain Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Mymensingh Medical College, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
  • Nazma Akter Assistant Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital, Gazipur, Bangladesh
  • Md Shah Emran Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Sylhet M. A. G. Osmani Medical College, Sylhet, Bangladesh
  • Shireen Afroz Ex-consultant Chattogram Diabetic Hospital, Chattogram, Bangladesh
  • Md Saifuddin Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • Ahmed Salam Mir Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Dhaka Central International Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • M A Sayem Consultant Diabetologist, Popular Diagnostic Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • Feroz Amin Professor, Department of Endocrinology, BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • Md Abu Bakar Assistant Professor, Chattogram Maa-O-Shishu Hospital, Chattogram, Bangladesh
  • Murshed Ahamed Khan Assistant Professor, Department of Endocrinology, BSMMU, Dhaka, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/jacedb.v1i2.78420

Keywords:

Knowledge, Practice, Ramadan fasting, Siam, Hypoglycemia

Abstract

Background: During Ramadan fasting there are changes in meal frequency, eating pattern, rhythm in life, the sleep cycle, and daily activity. Most people with uncomplicated type 2 DM (T2DM) fast during Ramadan in Bangladesh.

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of people of Bangladesh with T2DM about Ramadan fasting.

Methods: The survey enrolled 3835 adult people with T2DM (age 49.4±11.8 years; mean±SD; 57.4% female) through 17 endocrine outpatient centers in Bangladesh. Patient enrolment started one month before Ramadan in 2021. The survey questionnaire comprised 25 questions that addressed the characteristics of study subjects, their knowledge and attitude towards fasting, their lifestyle, and usual practices to control blood glucose during Ramadan.

Result: About 83.3% of participants intend to fast. Most were aware of the necessity of pre & post-Ramadan health checkups (48% and 77% respectively). The participants were aware of risks during fasting like hypoglycemia (58.6%), dehydration (64.6%) & uncontrolled DM (74.0%). Near seventy percent answered that they could control diabetes by themselves, and similar proportion did follow the doctor’s advice of medication adjustment. The necessity of glucose monitoring was known by 47% while 49% knew what to do if hypoglycemia occurs. However, 36.9% believed finger pricking would break the fast; and 18% said they would not break the fast despite hypoglycemia.

Conclusion: Most Bangladeshi adults with T2DM fast during Ramadan, and their knowledge, attitude, and practices are good, but still, some have myths, particularly about monitoring of blood glucose by finger pricking & breaking fast due to hypoglycemia during Ramadan fasting.

J Assoc Clin Endocrinol Diabetol Bangladesh, July 2022; 1 (2): 50-54

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Published

2025-08-04

How to Cite

Fariduddin, M., Gaffar, M. A. J., Selim, S., Islam, A. A., Sultana, N., Hasan, A. B. M. K., … Khan, M. A. (2025). Knowledge, attitude, and practices of Ramadan fasting in adult type 2 diabetes mellitus: A nationwide survey in Bangladesh in 2021. Journal of Association of Clinical Endocrinologist and Diabetologist of Bangladesh, 1(2), 50–54. https://doi.org/10.3329/jacedb.v1i2.78420

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2022)

Section

Original Article

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Md Fariduddin, Md Abu Jar Gaffar, Shahjada Selim, AKM Aminul Islam, Nusrat Sultana, A B M Kamrul Hasan, Farhana Akter, Md Jahangir Alam, Abdul Hannan Tarek, Ajit Kumar Paul, Md Qamrul Hassan, Md Anwar Hussain, Nazma Akter, Md Shah Emran, Shireen Afroz, Md Saifuddin, Ahmed Salam Mir, M A Sayem, Feroz Amin, Md Abu Bakar, Murshed Ahamed Khan

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.