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Pre-existing Health Concerns and Their Management in Ramadan and Mass Gatherings

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Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World

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Abstract

Insight into key religious practices and their implications for health is important for professionals who care for Muslim patients in different sectors of healthcare systems. In this chapter, we focus on two religious practices of importance for many Muslims around the world: observing the fasting period during the month of Ramadan and travelling for pilgrimage. We set out with a brief discussion of the multidimensional notion of health and an overview of how religious practices may shape the ways in which Muslims perceive and manage health and disease. This is followed by an outline of the meaning, rules, and practices related to firstly fasting during Ramadan and secondly travelling to attend the Islamic pilgrimage. Finally, taking a practice-oriented approach, we tease out practicalities and recommendations for healthcare professionals caring for Muslims wanting to observe the fasting period and/or attend mass gathering in the context of the Islamic pilgrimage.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Healthy Aging and Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Maria Kristiansen

  2. Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Aziz Sheikh

  3. Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Aziz Sheikh

  4. Centre for Population Health Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Aziz Sheikh

Authors
  1. Maria Kristiansen
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  2. Aziz Sheikh
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Correspondence to Maria Kristiansen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Pharmacology Therapeutics, University of British Colombia Dept. Pharmacology Therapeutics, VANCOUVER, BC, Canada

    Ismail Laher

Section Editor information

  1. No affiliation provided

    Harunor Rashid

  2. No affiliation provided

    Ziad A. Memish

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Kristiansen, M., Sheikh, A. (2019). Pre-existing Health Concerns and Their Management in Ramadan and Mass Gatherings. In: Laher, I. (eds) Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_53-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_53-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74365-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74365-3

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