Use of a Food Frequency Questionnaire for the Estimation of Gut Microbiota Composition Based on Dietary Patterns and Its Association with Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms in the Lebanese Adult Population: A Cross-Sectional Study
Table 1
Sociodemographic and health characteristics of the participants by gender (N = 388).
Characteristics
Total (N = 388)
Male (N = 133)
Female (N = 255)
P value
Age in years
32.62 (12.1)
33.79 (13.74)
32.01 (11.13)
Governorate of residence
Akkar
0 (0)
0 (0)
0 (0)
0.002#
Baalbek–Hermel
3 (0.77)
1 (0.75)
2 (0.78)
Beirut
67 (17.27)
33 (24.81)
34 (13.33)
Beqaa
10 (2.58)
2 (1.51)
8 (3.14)
Mount Lebanon
280 (72.16)
82 (61.65)
198 (77.65)
Nabatiyeh
0 (0)
0 (0)
0 (0)
North Lebanon
26 (6.7)
15 (11.28)
11 (4.32)
South Lebanon
2 (0.52)
0 (0)
2 (0.78)
Ethnicity
Middle Eastern
290 (74.74)
98 (73.68)
192 (75.3)
0.458#
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 (0)
0 (0)
0 (0)
Asian
33 (8.5)
12 (9.02)
21 (8.23)
African American
2 (0.52)
0 (0)
2 (0.78)
Hispanic or Latino
2 (0.52)
2 (1.51)
0 (0)
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
1 (0.26)
0 (0)
1 (0.39)
White
60 (15.46)
21 (15.79)
39 (15.3)
Anthropometrics
BMI (kg/m²)
24.34 (4.16)
26.14 (4.3)
23.41 (3.76)
<
BMI classification
Underweight
17 (4.38)
6 (4.5)
11 (4.31)
<0.0001#
Normal Weight
224 (57.73)
44 (33.1)
180 (70.59)
Overweight
111 (28.61)
64 (48.12)
47 (18.43)
Obese
36 (9.28)
19 (14.28)
17 (6.67)
Smoking habits
Tobacco cigarettes
59 (15.2)
31 (23.31)
28 (10.98)
<0.0001#
Shisha
67 (17.27)
14 (10.53)
53 (20.78)
E-cigarettes mods
53 (13.67)
27 (20.29)
26 (10.2)
Dual smoker of any of the above
20 (5.15)
13 (9.77)
7 (2.75)
Not smoking
189 (48.71)
48 (36.1)
141 (55.29)
Cardiovascular diseases
Arrythmias
3 (0.77)
1 (0.75)
2 (0.79)
<0.0001#
Atherosclerosis
1 (0.26)
1 (0.75)
0 (0)
Coronary heart disease
3 (0.77)
2 (1.5)
1 (0.39)
Heart failure
0 (0)
0 (0)
0 (0)
Hypertension
21 (5.41)
16 (12.03)
5 (1.96)
None
360 (92.79)
113 (84.97)
247 (96.86)
Type 2 diabetes
Yes
8 (2.06)
3 (2.25)
5 (1.96)
1
No
380 (97.94)
130 (97.75)
250 (98.04)
Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms
Yes
178 (45.88)
39 (29.32)
139 (54.51)
<0.0001#
No
210 (54.12)
94 (70.68)
116 (45.49)
BMI, body mass index; numbers in bold indicate significant P values (<0.05).P value: independent t test. #P value: Pearson’s chi-square test and Fisher exact test with more than 20% of expected counts less than 5 (smoking habits, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes).
