Objective: To explore the risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among school adolescents in China.
Method: A stratified, randomized study by cluster sampling was conducted, which recruited 51,956 students from high and primary schools in Chinese cities. All students were requested to fill in a questionnaire.
Result: (1) Factors including class (odds ratio 1.12), excessive intake of pepper (odds ratio 1.17), fried (odds ratio 1.08) and starch-based foods (odds ratio 1.06), gastrointestinal tract infection (odds ratio 2.66), abuse of analgesic (odds ratio 1.49), inheritance (odds ratio 1.83), fatigue (odds ratio 1.32) and repression (odds ratio 1.45) were significantly associated with the presence of IBS (P < 0.05). High protein food (odds ratio 0.90) was a protective factor.
Conclusion: Different food intake, gastrointestinal tract infection, abuse of analgesic, inheritance and psychological factors might be related to development of IBS in the students of the cities involved in this study.