Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To qualitatively explore the lived experiences of fasting during Ramadan and the Iftar meal in Muslim adults with low self-regulation (i.e., low ability to control) eating behavior. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with Muslim young adults, scoring below the threshold for low/moderate self-regulation on the Self-Regulation of Eating Behaviour Questionnaire, (SREBQ) (Kliemann et al. 2016). Interviews took place post-Ramadan 2023. Nineteen participants were interviewed (11 females, mean age 24.8 years). Alongside interview questions, vignettes were used to explore participants' experiences of disordered eating. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. RESULTS: Three themes were developed through reflexive thematic analysis highlighting how experiences of Ramadan and the Iftar meal may lead to the emergence of signs of disordered eating: (1) "refocussing on food provision," which describes the centrality of food and food consumption during Ramadan; (2) "the pressure to consume," which focuses on heightened social expectations that led to overeating during the Iftar meal; (3) "psychological distress and managing unpleasant physical sensations," which refers to the emotional response following overeating and how this could lead to purging. CONCLUSION: This study highlights how the Iftar meal represents a challenging time for adults with low-self regulation of eating and for some is associated with signs of disordered eating. While findings cannot be generalized to the broader Muslim population due to the small sample size, this study suggests a need for further community research regarding the experiences of Muslims vulnerable to disordered eating behavior and how to support them during Ramadan.