Author(s)

Diana Cecilia Tapia-Pancardo, Ramiro Jesús-Sandoval, Myrna Miriam Valera-Mota, José Luis Cadena-Anguiano, Miguel Murguía-Romero, Rafael Villalobos-Molina

Carrera de Cirujano Dentista, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, México.
Carrera de Médico Cirujano, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, México.
Carrera de Optometría, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, México.
División de Investigación y Posgrado, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, México.

Aim: Gastric diseases are a recent trend in morbidity in México. We aimed to identify most frequent life habits factors as risk for gastritis and colitis occurrence, in a Mexican mestizo population in Chabeklumil, Chiapas. Population: This study was observational, descriptive, transversal and prospective; 346 questionnaires were applied to individuals of both genders from 11 years of age, with low income and socio-economic status, after they signed the informed consent. An individual file was created by the nurses in Chabeklumil. The predominant gender in the population was female (56.1%), with a distribution of 166 among adulthood (19 - 59 years of age); among males (43.9%), 133 included adults. Results: We identified the following environmental risk factors to develop gastritis and colitis: long periods of daily fasting > consumption of irritant food and drink > stress, in females; in contrast, males reported alcohol and tobacco consumption > irritant food and drink > long periods of daily fasting > stress. We found statistical differences (P < 0.05) in risk factors between females and males, in drugs and alcohol consumption, fasting, and stress, but not in consumption of irritant foods, nor in colitis and gastritis prevalence. Conclusions: Females are most affected by life habits risk factors for gastritis/colitis, which occurs mainly due to lifestyle and “macho” culture, since women are precluded of a better living standard, they work hard in the field, and start early in the day without consuming a meal, which they eat late in the day once arriving home. People in Chabeklumil eat/drink a lot of irritant food like hot pepper and coffee, which damage the gastrointestinal system leading to gastritis and colitis. Furthermore, men started to consume drugs at early ages, a condition also involved in developing gastritis.

Gastritis; Colitis; Life Habits Risk Factors; Poverty; Mexican Mestizo Population

Tapia-Pancardo, D. , Jesús-Sandoval, R. , Valera-Mota, M. , Cadena-Anguiano, J. , Murguía-Romero, M. and Villalobos-Molina, R. (2012) Identification of life habits factors as risk for gastritis and colitis occurrence in a mestizo population of Chabeklumil, Chiapas, México. Open Journal of Nursing, 2, 67-71. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2012.22011.