Association between irregular eating habits and irritable foods with dyspepsia syndrome in students

A group of conditions affecting the upper gastrointestinal tract, known as dyspepsia syndrome, includes epigastric pain, discomfort, bloating, frequent belching, nausea, and vomiting. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) data in 2015, dyspepsia was found to affect 13-40% of the population annually and is listed as one of the top 10 non-communicable diseases in Indonesia that can increase morbidity.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary habits and the prevalence of dyspepsia syndrome among preclinical medical students at the Christian University of Indonesia in the 2023 class. The methodology employed was a descriptive-analytical study, utilizing a cross-sectional approach and a sequential sampling strategy, with 108 participants. This study employed univariate and bivariate analysis as its analytical methods.

The findings of the univariate study revealed that most participants were 18 years old, and 76 women (70.4%) of the total respondents reported experiencing dyspepsia syndrome, accounting for 61.1% of the sample. In this study, bivariate analysis using the Chi-square test revealed a strong correlation (p-value < 0.001) between the incidence of dyspepsia syndrome and diet.

This study concluded that there is a relationship between diet and the development of dyspepsia syndrome.