Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome among Nursing Students at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder that may be triggered by enteric pathogens. Research problem: Studies show IBS syndrome is a common disorder worldwide, for example 5-20% in the United States have irritable bowel syndrome, mostly among adults with age < 50 years old. Also, there is a study conducted in Al-Ahsa in 2017 that show the prevalence of IBS between medical student and interns in Saudi Arabia is 31.8%. Another study was conducted in Hail in 2018 among medical students show that 18% of the participants have been diagnosed with irritable syndrome. Moreover, no study was conducted exclusively among females nursing students in Jeddah. Materials: The questionnaire was adapted from a validated survey that was previously used. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 193 undergraduate nursing students (second, third and fourth years) at King Abdul-Aziz university. Results: The results showed that 17.6% of nursing students at King Abdul-Aziz having IBS. Conclusion: The results showed that the prevalence of IBS is 17.6%. Recommendations: We recommend Screening for IBS and psychological problems and Stress management course. Also, we recommend to ministry of education to provide relaxation room for students at colleges.