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

AIM: 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 chi(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. CONCLUSION: 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.