Association of Fiber Intake and Medical Conditions among Urban Population of Islamabad : A Quantitative Analysis

Abstract

An unhealthy diet is a leading risk factor to many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) increasing disease burden globally. An unhealthy diet affects the diet-gut microbiome interactions that causes multiple gut issues. Gastrointestinal diseases are important and one of the most under explored domains amongst public health issues. Therefore, this study explores the association of dietary fiber and its relationship with gut intestinal health issues in the urban adult population of Islamabad. The core objective of this study is to analyze the association between dietary fiber and medical health conditions related to gut. The study focuses on the intake of dietary fiber and its relationship with common gut health issues such as constipation, hemorrhoids, piles, anal fissures, irritable bowel syndrome and other gastrointestinal related health issues. The main objective of this study is to find out the dietary practices of the respondents to analyze the relationship between fiber intake and prevalence of gut health issues. Respondenses were collected using simple random method using electronic questionnaires via Google forms which was shared on different social media platforms. Around 190-195 people participated in the research including 124 females and 72 males in Islamabad. The sample size was collected amongst the urban population starting from 18 years and ending with 57 years. A well-structured electronic questionnaire was developed on Google-Forms which included closed and open-ended questions related to demographics, knowledge of dietary fiber and gut health issues along with food frequency questionnaire for which a consumption scale was used. The results of the collected data were analyzed using SPSS software for standard deviation, mean, median, frequency, dietary and knowledge score. The tests applied for this research are Pearson Chi-square and cross tabulation. It was noted that majority of the respondents were females as compared to males. Most of the participants have stable financial status, good knowledge of the dietary fiber but have low intake of dietary fiber and poor dietary habits resulting to common gut health issues such as constipation, hemorrhoids/piles, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and anal fissures. Around 10% of the respondents have hemorrhoids and experience constipation several times a week, whereas 42% respondents experience constipation occasionally. The dietary (std. deviation 0.46) and knowledge scores (std. deviation 3.50) were calculated to apply Chi square and find correlation. The Pearson Chi-square value is 6.199 along with a P value which is 0.045. Since the p-value is below 0.05 this proves that there is statistically significant relation between the variables at 5% significant level between the variables dietary Fiber and medical conditions such as constipation.