Gallbladder-related Symptoms, Awareness, and Dietary Counselling among Adults in East Champaran, Bihar: A Community-based Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Gallbladder disorders, particularly gallstone disease, are important gastrointestinal conditions influenced by demographic, metabolic, lifestyle, and dietary factors. Community-level information on gallbladder-related symptoms, awareness, and dietary counselling remains limited in several regions of India, including Bihar. Objective: To assess gallbladder-related symptoms, selected socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, awareness regarding dietary factors and gallbladder health, and receipt of dietary counselling among adults residing in East Champaran, Bihar. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 adults aged ≥18 years residing in East Champaran district, Bihar. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric characteristics, gallstone status, gallbladder-related symptoms, and awareness regarding dietary factors and gallbladder health. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data. Chi-square tests were used to examine associations between selected categorical variables, and multivariable logistic regression was performed for selected outcomes. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Among the 423 participants, 132 (31.2%) reported at least one assessed gallbladder-related symptom. Among symptomatic participants, indigestion after fatty meals (62.9%) and severe upper-right abdominal pain (59.1%) were the most frequently reported symptoms, followed by vomiting (35.6%), nausea (27.3%), and jaundice (26.5%). A previous diagnosis of gallstones was reported by 91 (21.5%) participants, of whom 59 (64.8%) reported ultrasound confirmation. Regarding awareness, 247 (58.4%) participants reported that food habits could affect gallbladder health, while 248 (58.6%) believed that reducing fatty-food consumption could reduce gallbladder-related problems. Overall, 199 (47.0%) participants reported having received dietary advice regarding gallbladder disease, whereas 224 (53.0%) had never received such advice. In multivariable analysis, previous gallstone diagnosis was strongly associated with reporting at least one gallbladder-related symptom (AOR=5.55, 95% CI: 3.31–9.31; p<0.001), while female sex was also associated with symptom reporting (AOR=1.66, 95% CI: 1.04–2.63; p=0.033). Awareness that food habits affect gallbladder health was independently associated with age (AOR=0.97 per year, 95% CI: 0.95–0.99; p=0.003), BMI (AOR=1.10 per kg/m², 95% CI: 1.03–1.17; p=0.006), and presence of at least one gallbladder-related symptom (AOR=3.17, 95% CI: 1.66–6.05; p<0.001). Conclusion: Gallbladder-related symptoms were reported by a substantial proportion of participants, while more than half had never received dietary counselling regarding gallbladder disease. Symptom reporting and awareness of dietary factors were associated with selected participant characteristics. These findings highlight the importance of community-level health education, symptom awareness, and appropriate dietary counselling. Further studies using clinically verified gallstone status and representative sampling are warranted.