Fasting in severe heat spell may cause problems for children

Rawalpindi: Sixteen-hour long fast in the existing hot weather conditions may cause serious health problems for children fasting frequently in the holy month of Ramazan as they need liquid intake after every four to six hours to keep their body functions normal.

Health experts believe that children particularly below eight to nine years of age should not fast as it may cause growth-related problems while fasting in malnourished children may affect their immunity.

Dehydration and hypoglycemia, lowering of glucose in the blood are two major health threats that young children may face while fasting for over 16 hours in the existing extreme hot weather conditions, said Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at Rawalpindi Medical University and Incharge Paediatrics Department at Holy Family Hospital Dr. Tariq Saeed while talking to ‘The News’ on Thursday.

He added a child aged six years or above needs 1.5 to two liters of water in a day that he or she cannot take if fast because of having small stomach. It is not possible for a child to take large quantity of food or fluids at one time like adults at ‘Sehr’ instead a child below 11 years of age needs small but frequent meals after every four to six hours, he said.

He, like many other health experts said insufficient intake of food or fluid may affect both mental and physical growth of a child if he is below 11 or 12 years of age and fast regularly for a month. Fasting in children generally below 10 years of age may cause severe deficiency of essential minerals, he said.

He explained that a percentage of food that a child consumes is utilized by the body for growth while a portion of it for activities and hence a child requires more importantly frequent intakes unlike adults. Also frequent intakes of food and liquid are important for a child’s health because the process of metabolism is faster in children than in adults, he said.

In our society, it is a common practice that children below 10 years of age do fast off and on following their passion and majority of parents encourage the practice. Health experts however say that the practice should be discouraged, as fasting in Islam becomes an obligation on a Muslim when he or she reaches puberty and there is no need of putting health of a child at stake due to fasting.

If a child is malnourished, frequent fasting may affect his immunity making him more vulnerable to severe infections, said Professor Tariq. He said generally fasting among children below 10 or 11 years of age is not recommended medically as children have smaller reserves in their body and could not afford to be without food for 16 or more hours.

However it is not age rather the physical appearance that matters when a child goes for fasting, he said adding a well-built child of age 10 or 11 may fast occasionally during Ramazan to fulfil his or her desire, he said.