Open AccessHealth Disturbances of Negative Nutritional Shocks
Author(s) -
Zare Markovic,
Vedad Hodzic,
Hossein Shahri
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
siasat journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2721-7469
pISSN - 2721-7450
DOI - 10.33258/siasat.v6i2.95
Subject(s) - birth records , fertility , prenatal development , demography , birth weight , pregnancy , medicine , obstetrics , fixed effects model , fetus , panel data , environmental health , statistics , biology , population , mathematics , genetics , sociology
The Fetal Origin Hypothesis show that the prenatal development period is a critical period for birth outcomes. Applying a panel data fixed effect model and using the universe of birth records in the US, I find that exposure to the holy month Ramadan, during which Muslim mothers fast for the whole day, during prenatal development has negative birth outcomes. Exposure to a full month of fasting is associated with 96 grams lower birth-weight. These results are robust across specifications and do not appear to be driven by mothers’ selective fertility.