Impact of Irritable Bowel Syndrome on Healthcare Students' Quality of Life

Meisa Al Foraih¹ and Hajar Alasmari^2,

¹Food Science and Nutrition Department, College of Health Sciences, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Shuwaikh Industrial, Kuwait

²Nursing Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University,Taif, Saudi Arabia

Cite this paper:
Meisa Al Foraih and Hajar Alasmari. Impact of Irritable Bowel Syndrome on Healthcare Students' Quality of Life. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2023; 11(10):614-620. doi: 10.12691/jfnr-11-10-2

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome is one of the most prevalent diagnosed gastrointestinal disorders. Although IBS is a non-life-threatening condition, it can have a profound negative impact on patients' quality of life (QoL) (i.e., affecting sleep quality, concentration, energy levels, self-esteem personal relationships, travel and work attendance, performance, and productivity). There is limited information, however, in Saudi Arabia, on the effect of IBS has on the quality of life of students studying health care degrees. Aim: To measure the prevalence of IBS in a group of health care students in Taif, Saudi Arabia, and to determine the relationship between anxiety and IBS; and its’ impact on their quality of life. Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted in the Health College at Taif University (TU), through an internet-based questionnaire. The study was carried out across the six specialties at TU: nursing, physiotherapy, laboratory, radiology, medicine, and pharmacology. A sample of 351 students were included, in the academic year of 2020–2021.Results: A total of 116 students had symptoms of IBS at a frequency of 33.05 %. Most of the study sample were females (77.5 %), with their ages ranging between 18 -22 ± 2.87 (63.6%). Students from nursing school who experienced symptoms of IBS comprised 65% of the studied sample. A significant association between the frequency of meals eaten per day and IBS (chi-square p-value = 0.002) was reported. High fat diet was associated with symptoms of IBS in 38.2%, and spicy food in 30.5% of the studied sample. A statistically significant association was observed between anxiety and IBS and between Quality of Life and IBS. Eight types of regression models were used to identify the effect of IBS on healthcare students’ quality of life. Results showed a strong relationship between IBS in healthcare students and quality of life (QoL), specifically food avoidance and interference activity. Conclusion: Undergraduate students, particularly, those studying health care are likely to be subjected to substantial amounts of anxiety, hence contributing to the development of IBS symptoms, which consequently impacts their quality of life, specifically food avoidance and interference with daily activities. Raising awareness among students regarding IBS-related symptoms and factors leading to its development such as anxiety, would probably play an important role in mitigating the impact of this disorder on their quality of life.

Keywords:
irritable bowel syndrome anxiety quality of life healthcare students

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