Regular post dinner walk; can be a useful lifestyle modification for gastroesophageal reflux.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the correlation of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms with routine post dinner physical activity and time interval before going to bed, in multiethnic South Asian population.


METHODS
Prospective, cross sectional analytical, multicenter study was conducted from February 2009 to March 2010. Patient's relative sitting in outpatient clinics with no comorbids, nonsmoker and non alcoholic were included. They were asked to fill a validated GERD questionnaire and were also inquired about routine post dinner physical activity (lying, sitting, walking) and dinner-bed time interval. Odds Ratios (OR) and their 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were estimated using Logistic Regression, with gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms as an outcome.


RESULTS
Subjects analyzed were 1875. Mean age was 35.37 +/- 12.69 years of which 689 (36.74%) had GERD symptoms. GERD symptoms were 42.08% in routine post dinner recumbency position. While 35.17% and 30.52% had the symptoms in post dinner sitting and walking before going to bed [OR for walking 0.66 (95% CI 0.5-0.88) when compared with lying posture]. GERD symptoms were 45.86% among those with dinner-bed time of one hour, progressively decreasing to 41.68%, 31.45% and 29.88% in the second, third and forth hour respectively. Odds ratio was significant only at 3rd [0.55 (0.41-0.74)] and > or = 4th hr [0.51 (0.37-0.71)] when compared with first hour.


CONCLUSIONS
Regular post dinner walk and > 3 hour dinner-bed time interval were less associated with GERD symptoms.
Out Patients Department, Section of Gastroenterology, Aga khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Shahid
S
Karim
Wasim
W
Jafri
Afsheen
A
Faryal
Shahid
S
Majid
Mohammad
M
Salih
Fatima
F
Jafri
Saeed
S
Hamid
Hasnain Ali
HA
Shah
Zohaib
Z
Nawaz
Usman
U
Tariq
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016138:Walking; D055815:Young Adult