Costanian C, Tamim H, Assaad S. Prevalence and factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome among university students in Lebanon: Findings from a cross-sectional study. World J Gastroenterol 2015; 21(12): 3628-3635 [PMID: 25834330 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i12.3628]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Christy Costanian, MSC, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J1P3, Canada. chc01@yorku.ca
Research Domain of This Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Article-Type of This Article
Observational Study
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Costanian C, Tamim H, Assaad S. Prevalence and factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome among university students in Lebanon: Findings from a cross-sectional study. World J Gastroenterol 2015; 21(12): 3628-3635 [PMID: 25834330 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i12.3628]
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 28, 2015; 21(12): 3628-3635 Published online Mar 28, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i12.3628
Prevalence and factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome among university students in Lebanon: Findings from a cross-sectional study
Christy Costanian, Hala Tamim, Shafika Assaad
Christy Costanian, Hala Tamim, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON M3J1P3, Canada
Shafika Assaad, Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences, Beirut 961, Lebanon
Author contributions: Costanian C contributed towards study design, hypothesis conception, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript drafting and write-up; Tamim H contributed to the analysis, interpretation, drafting and write up of the paper; Assaad S contributed to hypothesis conception, study logistics, and data collection; all authors provided critical insight, and revisions to the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript submitted for publication.
Supported by Pathophysiology Research Unit at the Lebanese University.
Ethics approval: The study was reviewed and approved by the Lebanese University Institutional Review Board.
Informed consent: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Data sharing: No additional data are available.
Correspondence to: Christy Costanian, MSC, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J1P3, Canada. chc01@yorku.ca
Telephone: +1-416-7362100 Fax: +1-416-7365774
Received: October 9, 2014 Peer-review started: October 10, 2014 First decision: October 29, 2014 Revised: December 9, 2014 Accepted: January 8, 2015 Article in press: January 8, 2015 Published online: March 28, 2015 Processing time: 171 Days and 15.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an acknowledged functional gastrointestinal disorder of major public health concern. Little is known about IBS prevalence in Arab countries and specifically among university students, including Lebanon. Therefore, an epidemiological study, the first of its kind, investigating IBS among university students in Lebanon was conducted. The prevalence of IBS reported in this study was relatively high and similar to the estimate found in industrialized countries. The risk of having IBS, after adjusting for confounders was significantly higher among females than males, those aged 22 years or younger, among those who were living in a private house or in the school dormitory on their own, and among subjects with middle to high income levels. Findings of this study have important implications for IBS screening and management, as they highlight the importance of engaging in healthy behaviors to minimize IBS symptoms and enhance quality of life among IBS patients.
