Global Research Trends of Health-Related Publications on Ramadan Fasting from 1999 to 2021: A Bibliometric Analysis

J Relig Health. 2022 Oct;61(5):3777-3794. doi: 10.1007/s10943-022-01573-x. Epub 2022 May 7.

Abstract

Ramadan fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. The current study aims to examine, analyze, and identify trends of health-related publications on Ramadan fasting. In total, 1468 documents retrieved from Scopus were analyzed. The mean number of authors per document was 3.7, with an average of 13.3 citations per document. The UK ranked first (12.3%, n = 181) regarding the number of documents, followed by Iran (10.4%, n = 153) and then Saudi Arabia (9.8%, n = 144). The most active journal was "Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice" (4.9%, n = 72). Publications related to diabetes and fasting constituted around 29.7% (n = 436) of the literature. The research volume on Ramadan fasting has been noticeably growing. More reliable research is required to aid healthcare professionals in providing patient-specific care.

Keywords: Bibliometric analysis; Fasting; Islamic fasting; Ramadan.

MeSH terms

  • Bibliometrics
  • Diabetes Mellitus*
  • Fasting*
  • Humans
  • Iran
  • Islam