Relation of Lifestyle Factors to Bowel Habits in Taiwanese University Students

[[abstract]]Abstract The main purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between lifestyle factors and bowel habits. Seven hundred and sixty-three first-year university students (320 males and 443 females) of a university located in central Taiwan were recruited to complete a self-reported questionnaire and the response rate was 91.71%. Results indicated that males tended to defecate at the same time and their defecation characteristics, such as gas passing and abdominal pain, distension, and murmur, were significantly greater than those of females. However, the ease of bowel movements and stool hardness of females were significantly greater than those of males. Academic stress was the most considerable stressor to the subjects and the levels of various stresses were significantly higher in males than in females. Generally, the subjects seemed to have positive dietary behaviors, but their food choices for breakfast were nutritionally imbalanced and lack of variety, and their daily intakes of dairy products, vegetables and fruits were inadequate. The sleep quality of the subjects was poor as measured by the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). The sleep duration of most subjects was less than 7 hours and the most frequent sleep disturbance was wake after sleep onset. There were significant associations between life stress, dietary status, and bowel habits as analyzed by chi-square test and the associations were influenced by gender. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that there might be a relationship between bowel habits and lifestyle factors, especially dietary status and life stress, in university students