title: Prevalence and factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome among university students in Lebanon: findings from a cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the bowel habits and the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and to investigate the influence of health behavior and social factors on IBS prevalence in university students.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was conducted at five major universities in Greater Beirut and its suburbs, between February and June 2014. Using a convenience sample, a total of 813 students aged 18 years old and above participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete a comprehensive anonymous questionnaire which detailed characteristics on socio-demographic, health-related, and lifestyle factors, as well as IBS. The ROME III criteria were used as a tool to ascertain IBS. A χ(2) test was used to determine differences between categorical variables; stepwise logistic regression was used to measure the association between IBS and its risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An overall prevalence of IBS of 20% was recorded among university students. The bivariate analysis showed that females were significantly more likely to report having IBS than males (29.1% vs 18.2%, P < 0.01). Those living at the school dormitory or in a private residence (39.5%) were more likely to have IBS than those living with their families (16.3%) (P < 0.01). The multivariate analysis showed that those who had a relatively high family income level (US$ > 2000) were almost 6 times more likely to report having IBS than their counterparts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to describe the nature of IBS among young adults in Lebanon. The prevalence of IBS among university students in our sample was higher than that reported in the West.
authors.affiliation: Christy Costanian, Hala Tamim, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON M3J1P3, Canada.
authors.forename: Christy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costanian
authors.affiliation: Christy Costanian, Hala Tamim, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON M3J1P3, Canada.
authors.forename: Hala
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamim
authors.affiliation: Christy Costanian, Hala Tamim, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON M3J1P3, Canada.
authors.forename: Shafika
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Assaad
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome; Lebanon; Prevalence; ROME III criteria; Social factors
references.citation: Gastroenterology. 2002 Nov;123(5):1686-701
references.pmid: 12404243
references.citation: Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2005 Jun;17(3):317-24
references.pmid: 15916618
references.citation: Pan Afr Med J. 2011;9:5
references.pmid: 22145053
references.citation: Am J Gastroenterol. 2004 Aug;99(8):1572-8
references.pmid: 15307879
references.citation: West J Nurs Res. 2010 Mar;32(2):218-32
references.pmid: 20040735
references.citation: Can J Gastroenterol. 2012 May;26(5):281-4
references.pmid: 22590702
references.citation: Am J Gastroenterol. 2002 Aug;97(8):1910-5
references.pmid: 12190153
references.citation: Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Jul;10(7):712-721.e4
references.pmid: 22426087
references.citation: Am J Gastroenterol. 2001 Jul;96(7):2184-93
references.pmid: 11467651
references.citation: Am J Gastroenterol. 2008 Mar;103(3):765-74; quiz 775
references.pmid: 18177446
references.citation: World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Sep 7;16(33):4221-6
references.pmid: 20806442
references.citation: J Manag Care Pharm. 2013 Nov-Dec;19(9):755-64
references.pmid: 24156644
references.citation: BMC Res Notes. 2012;5:255
references.pmid: 22624886
references.citation: J Clin Gastroenterol. 2004 Oct;38(9):782-9
references.pmid: 15365405
references.citation: J Psychosom Res. 2013 Jun;74(6):486-92
references.pmid: 23731745
references.citation: Int J Prev Med. 2012 Mar;3(Suppl 1):S1-9
references.pmid: 22826748
references.citation: World J Gastroenterol. 2013 Oct 14;19(38):6408-15
references.pmid: 24151359
references.citation: J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2010 Oct;16(4):389-400
references.pmid: 21103420
references.citation: Libyan J Med. 2013;8:21287
references.pmid: 24054184
references.citation: Gastroenterology. 2006 Apr;130(5):1480-91
references.pmid: 16678561
references.citation: Patient Prefer Adherence. 2008 Feb 02;2:143-7
references.pmid: 19920955
references.citation: J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Dec;24(12):1885-90
references.pmid: 19780881
references.citation: J Pak Med Assoc. 2011 Nov;61(11):1111-5
references.pmid: 22125990
references.citation: Int J Nurs Stud. 2005 Mar;42(3):247-54
references.pmid: 15708012
references.citation: Am J Gastroenterol. 2011 May;106(5):915-22
references.pmid: 21206488
references.citation: J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2005 Oct-Dec;17(4):9-11
references.pmid: 16599025
references.citation: Zhonghua Nei Ke Za Zhi. 2012 Jun;51(6):429-32
references.pmid: 22943750
references.citation: World J Gastroenterol. 2013 Oct 14;19(38):6465-71
references.pmid: 24151366
references.citation: Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Apr;105(4):814-20; quiz 813, 821
references.pmid: 20179688
references.citation: Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2011 Mar;40(1):1-10
references.pmid: 21333897