Prevalence and factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome among university students in Lebanon: Findings from a cross-sectional study

Table 1 Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and its subtypes and contributory foodstuffs n (%)

Variable	With IBS1 (n = 163/813)
IBS	163 (20.0)
IBS subtypes
IBS constipation	60 (36.8)
IBS diarrhea	25 (15.4)
IBS mixed	73 (44.8)
IBS unknown	5 (3.06)
Foods that trigger hypersensitivity2
Yes3	34 (20.9)
No	129 (79.1)
Beans	8 (23.5)
Milk	4 (11.8)
Sweets	1 (2.94)
Fatty food (beef and fast foods)	4 (11.8)
Coffee	5 (14.7)
Carbonated beverages	1 (2.94)
Spicy foods	5 (14.7)
Fruits (banana, watermelon)	2 (5.88)
Vegetables (tomato)	2 (5.88)
Parsley	2 (5.88)

¹Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was defined according to Rome III criteria as recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort for at least 3 d per month during the past 3 mo, associated with two or more of the following features: (1) improvement with defecation; (2) onset associated with a change in frequency of bowel movement; and/or (3) onset associated with a change in form (appearance) of stools;

²In the form of abdominal pain or diarrhea;

³Distribution of specific food categories among IBS cases (n = 34) triggering hypersensitivity.

Table 2 Distribution of baseline socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics and factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome prevalence n (%)

Variable	Total(n = 813)	With IBS(n = 163)	P value	Unadjusted		Adjusted1
				OR	95%CI	OR	95%CI
Sex
Female	488 (60.0)	122 (25.0)	< 0.001	1.00		1.00
Male	325 (40.0)	41 (12.6)		0.43a	0.29-0.64	0.40a	0.26-0.61
Age
≤ 22 yr	539 (66.3)	118 (21.9)	0.039	1.00		1.00
> 22 yr	274 (33.7)	45 (16.4)		0.7	0.48-1.02	0.53a	0.35-0.79
Faculty
Sciences and humanities	113 (13.9)	22 (19.5)	0.975	1.00		1.00
Medical sciences2	431 (53.0)	89 (20.6)		0.98	0.53-1.85	0.80	0.45-1.42
Engineering	140 (17.2)	27 (19.3)		1.07	0.64-1.81	1.06	0.53-2.11
Business and economics	129 (15.9)	25 (19.4)		0.99	0.52-1.80	0.94	0.47-1.89
Living condition
With family	517 (63.6)	75 (14.5)	< 0.001	1.00		1.00
School dormitory or private house	296 (36.4)	88 (29.7)		2.49a	1.76-3.54	2.84a	1.94-4.16
Family income (US$)
500-1200	241 (29.6)	28 (11.6)	< 0.001	1.00		1.00
1300-2000	369 (45.4)	64 (17.3)		1.60	0.99-2.57	1.86a	1.13-3.06
> 2000	203 (25.0)	71 (35.0)		4.09a	2.51-6.68	5.72a	3.36-9.71
Cigarette smoking
Not current	716 (88.1)	144 (20.1)	0.514	1.00		1.00
Current	97 (11.9)	19 (19.6)		0.97	0.56-1.60	0.95	0.43-1.72
Regular physical activity
No	474 (58.3)	113 (23.8)	0.001	1.00		1.00
Yes	339 (41.7)	50 (14.7)		0.55a	0.38-0.80	0.53a	0.35-0.79
Family history of IBS
No	754 (92.7)	154 (20.4)	0.401	1.00		1.00
Yes	59 (7.3)	9 (15.3)		0.70	0.34-1.46	0.49	0.22-1.08

¹Adjusted for all variables listed in the table;

²Includes medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, medical lab technology, and physiotherapy.

^aP < 0.05 vs control. OR: Odds ratio; CI: Confidence interval.