Volume 25, Issue 109, March, 2021

Prevalence and risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome among high school female students in northern borders region, Saudi Arabia

Entsar Owaid Alanazi^1♦, Wafa Owied Alshammri¹, Sabry Mohamed Hammad², Amal Elwan Mohammed³

¹Resident of family medicine, Salhia Awsat primary healt care center, Arar, KSA
²Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt & Consultant of Public Health & Community Medicine, Northern Borders General health affairs, KSA
³Lecturer of Public Health & Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt

^♦Corresponding author
Resident of family medicine, Salhia Awsat primary healt care center, Arar, KSA; Email: entsaralsultani@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Irritable bowel syndrome is one of the physicians' most common conditions and accounts for approximately 12% of primary healthcare units' visits. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome among high school female students in the Northern borders region, KSA. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out during the second academic semester, April 2019 to December 2019. The investigator used a self-administered questionnaire that employed Rome 4 criteria and previously tested for validity and reliability. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 24 using Chisquare test and Fisher exact tests for significance. Results: The overall prevalence of IBS among the studied group is 54.8%. School grade, marital status, Family income, Family number, Parents status (p<0. 001) were significantly related to IBS. Lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity and poor consumption of fruits and vegetables were significantly associated with irritable bowel syndrome among adolescents. Conclusion: IBS is a prevalent condition that necessitates medical care. Family physicians need screening for IBS in a different setting. Raising awareness on healthy lifestyles among adolescents is highly recommended to combat IBS and other lifestyle diseases.

Keywords: irritable bowel syndrome, KSA, Rome IV

Medical Science, 2021, 25(109), 556-564

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