The prevalence of IBS was higher among nursing and medical students, and further interventional studies are needed to improve IBS symptoms.

Background: Previous studies have shown that the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is 10%-15% in the general population. IBS is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain, abdominal discomfort and disordered defecation associated with a stressful lifestyle. However, the cause of IBS has not been clarified yet. Based on a similar, previous study in Japan, this study investigated the prevalence of IBS and the relationship between IBS and stress, lifestyle and dietary habits among nursing and medical school students in China. Methods: Designed to investigate IBS symptoms, lifestyle, dietary intake, life events, anxiety and depresssion, a blank self-administrated questionnaire was used to survey 2500 nursing or medical students in China. Questionnaires were collected from 2141 students (85.6%) and responses obtained from 1934 students (90.3%) were analyzed. Results: On the whole, the prevalence of IBS was 32.1% in this study, 26.6% in males and 33.6% in females. In females, the IBS group showed a bedtime later than that in the non-IBS group, and the length of time asleep in the IBS group was shorter than that in the non-IBS group (p < 0.001, p = 0.005). In females, the IBS group showed a frequency for the intake of vegetables and potatoes that was lower than that of the non-IBS group (p = 0.007, p = 0.023). The prevalence of IBS among nursing and medical school students in China (32.1%) was significantly lower than that in Japan (35.5%). Especially, the number of females in the constipation dominant IBS subgroup in China (11.8%) was less than that found in Japan (20.4%). Conclusions: The prevalence of IBS was high among nursing and medical students in China, but lower than that shown in Japan.

Background: The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of lifestyle self-monitoring for the improvement of the IBS and reveal what has been changed due to the intervention. Methods: A total of 111 nursing school students were randomized into three groups, two intervention groups (a two-month intervention group, n = 34, and a four-month intervention group, n = 35) and a control group (n = 34). The intervention groups conducted lifestyle self-monitoring in conjunction with a 15-minutes group work for either two or four months. The primary outcome measure was Rome II criteria for IBS. Other outcome measures were the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS). They were assessed at the baseline and the end of both of the intervention periods. Analysis was conducted as intention-to-treat. Results: The prevalence of IBS did not change significantly after the intervention in any of the groups. The HAD-A score, a subscale of the HADS score for anxiety, decreased 1.4 points in the two-month intervention group (p = 0.02) and 2.3 points in the four-month intervention group of (p = 0.01) after intervention. The average GSRS decreased 0.2 points in the control group (p = 0.05) and 0.3 points in the four-month intervention group (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Lifestyle self-monitoring for two or four months did not reduce the prevalence of the IBS significantly, but it did decrease anxiety and improved the QOL related to gastrointestinal symptoms in female nursing school students.