Prevalence and trigger factors of functional gastrointestinal disorders among male civil pilots in China

Chen Li,Daiwen Yin,Dezhi Shan,Lei Shang,Yuhai Zhang,Xun Jiang,Junrong Xu

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-81825-0

Chen Li, Daiwen Yin + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81825-0

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Abstract

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common among the aircrew due to their arduous working environment. This study investigated the prevalence of FGIDs in Chinese male pilots and assessed the effects of trigger factors on the FGIDs. A cross-sectional study including 212 male pilots was performed in a Chinese large civil airline company. FGIDs were diagnosed according to the Rome IV diagnostic criteria. The psychological performance, dietary pattern, sleep situation, and physical activity of the respondents were assessed. Logistic regression analysis and structural equation modeling were used to explore the association between these trigger factors and FGIDs. FGIDs were observed in 83 (39.22%) respondents, of which 31 (37.35%) had overlap syndromes. Age, flight level, flight time, high-salt food pattern, anxiety, and sleep performance were found to be associated with FGIDs (all P < 0.05). Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that the flight level (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.31–0.080), high-salt food pattern (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.28–4.16), and sleep performance (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.11–5.14) were the influencing factors associated with FGIDs. Structural equation modeling confirmed the correlations between FGIDs and the occupational, dietary, and psychological factors with a reasonable fit. The preventive strategies were necessitated according to occupational and psychological characteristics.

Highlights

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common among the aircrew due to their arduous working environment
Given the gender differences on the FGIDs epidemiology[22,23] and low proportion of female among civil pilots in C hina[24], this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of FGIDs among the commercial male pilots in China with the new Rome IV diagnostic criteria and assess the effects of the physical and mental performance on the FGIDs, so as to optimize the health care management during their career
As studies on the prevalence of FGIDs in Chinese aviators were very limited, this study was conducted to identify the effect of the trigger factors on the FGIDs for the civil pilots

Summary

Introduction

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common among the aircrew due to their arduous working environment. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that the flight level (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.31–0.080), high-salt food pattern (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.28–4.16), and sleep performance (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.11–5.14) were the influencing factors associated with FGIDs. Structural equation modeling confirmed the correlations between FGIDs and the occupational, dietary, and psychological factors with a reasonable fit. An epidemiological study reported that 10–20% of the world population was affected by F GID2, and 1–8% of the FGIDs patients had two or three overlap syndromes[3] These functional disorders rendered a negative impact on the quality of life of patients and caused a high disease burden, especially on some arduous occupational p ersons[4,5,6]. Pilots with FGIDs may always overlook the importance of psychosocial factors[14,20,21]

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