Factors associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (bivariate analyses).
| IBS (n = 533) % | Non-IBS (n = 4274) % | Crude OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 72.6 | 56.9 | 2.00 (1.64 to 2.45) |
| Townsend group | |||
| Very affluent (referent) | 20.2 | 24.0 | |
| Moderately affluent | 16.7 | 17.0 | 1.16 (0.86 to 1.57) |
| Moderately deprived | 15.2 | 17.0 | 1.06 (0.78 to 1.43) |
| Very deprived | 47.9 | 42.1 | 1.35 (1.06 to 1.71) |
| Smokers | |||
| Not at all (referent) | 68.2 | 72.6 | |
| Occasional | 5.3 | 6.4 | 0.88 (0.59 to 1.32) |
| Moderate | 21.7 | 18 | 1.29 (1.03 to 1.61) |
| Heavy | 4.8 | 3 | 1.68 (1.08 to 2.62) |
| Alcohol | |||
| Not at all | 20.4 | 18.0 | 1.06 (0.83 to 1.35) |
| Moderate drinkers | 25.2 | 31.4 | 0.75 (0.60 to 0.93) |
| Heavy drinkers | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.05 (0.47 to 2.35) |
| Occasional (referent) | 53.0 | 49.4 | |
| Ethnic group | |||
| White (referent) | 88.8 | 90.6 | |
| Black | 6.3 | 4.2 | 1.53 (1.04 to 2.24) |
| Asian | 4.4 | 4.0 | 1.10 (0.71 to 1.72) |
| Chinese/other | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.47 (1.15 to 1.50) |
| Education | |||
| No school/primary | 6.9 | 7.9 | 0.85 (0.59 to 1.22) |
| Secondary age up to 16 years (referent) | 53.3 | 51.8 | |
| Secondary age >16 years | 12.4 | 13.7 | 0.88 (0.66 to 1.17) |
| Higher education | 27.8 | 26.6 | 1.00 (0.81 to 1.24) |
| Employment | |||
| ≥20 hours (referent) | 39.0 | 41.5 | |
| <20 hours | 6.8 | 6.1 | 1.19 (0.81 to 1.73) |
| Unemployed — looking | 3.0 | 2.8 | 1.16 (0.68 to 1.99) |
| Unemployed — not looking | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.02 (0.40 to 2.60) |
| Home maker | 7.2 | 6.0 | 1.28 (0.88 to 1.85) |
| Retired | 24.2 | 33.1 | 0.78 (0.62 to 0.98) |
| Retired, working part-time | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.18 (0.62 to 2.25) |
| Unable to work due to bad health | 14.8 | 5.7 | 2.76 (2.06 to 3.70) |
| Adults in household | |||
| 1 | 36.2 | 34.0 | 1.10 (0.90 to 1.35) |
| 2 (referent) | 50.0 | 51.6 | |
| 3 | 9.9 | 10.0 | 1.03 (0.74 to 1.42) |
| 3+ | 3.9 | 4.4 | 0.90 (0.55 to 1.47) |
| Children in household | |||
| 0 (referent) | 68.2 | 69.0 | |
| 1 | 11.9 | 12.1 | 0.99 (0.74 to 1.33) |
| 2 | 14.5 | 12.8 | 1.15 (0.87 to 1.50) |
| 3 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 0.83 (0.50 to 1.36) |
| 3+ | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.13 (0.56 to 2.29) |
OR = odds ratio.