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

Abstract 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 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