Investigation on Prevalence Status and Related Factors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Among Students in Medical Vocational Colleges in Guangxi
Objective: To investigate the prevalence status and related risk factors of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among freshmen of a medical vocational college in Guangxi. Methods: A cross‑sectional design was adopted. Cluster sampling was used to recruit all freshmen of the college. Self‑designed questionnaires were distributed through Wenjuanxing. The Rome Ⅳ criteria were applied for IBS screening. Chi‑square test was used for enumeration data, and t‑test for measurement data. Variables with p＜0.05 in univariate analysis were included in multivariate binary Logistic regression. Results: A total of 4 729 valid questionnaires were recovered, among which 62 cases were screened positive, with a prevalence rate of 1.31%. The positive screening rate was higher in females than in males (p = 0.029). Mixed‑type (50.0%) and diarrheal‑type (46.8%) were the main subtypes, while constipation‑type accounted for 3.2%. Moderate‑to‑severe symptoms were found in 30.6% of positive cases. Multivariate analysis showed that female gender (OR = 2.453, 95% CI: 1.098–5.479), coarse‑grain‑based staple food (OR = 3.709, 95% CI: 1.523–9.032), preference for acidic food (OR = 2.466, 95% CI: 1.303–4.669), preference for spicy food (OR = 2.003, 95% CI: 1.206–3.325), and frequent consumption of pickled food (OR = 4.101, 95% CI: 2.012–8.361) were independent risk factors. Conclusion: The prevalence of IBS among freshmen medical students in this college is relatively low. Female gender and high‑irritant diets are core influencing factors.
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