| Summary: | 碩士 === 南華大學 === 自然醫學研究所 === 98 === Acne vulgaris, commonly known as acne, is one of the most common skin diseases in adolescents. In Western medicine, it is considered as a disease of the skin appendages and has mainly been focused on external factors including skin types, hormonal activities, infections, and lifestyle factors. In Chinese medicine, acne is considered as a disease originated from internal impairments. Occurrence of any diseases is strongly affected by the integrity of the body constitution and pathogens. The objective of this study is to investigate the association between Chinese body constitution and severity of acne as well as the association between acne and lifestyle factors in male university students. A cross-sectional purposive sampling study design was used to survey 120 male students in a university located in south Taiwan. The questionnaire included items on demographics, severity of acne, Chinese body constitution, perceived stress levels, lifestyle factors, and the Cardiff Acne Disability Index. Results indicated that 56.7 percent of the students were of Yin deficiency (Yin-Xu) body constitution type. Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that the odds of acne was 9.49 times (p = 0.001) in Yin deficiency students compared to those who were not non-Yin-deficiency. For every one unit of increase in perceived stress level, the odds of acne increased by 14 percent ( p = 0.002). In addition, the severity of acne was significantly associated with the use of carbonated beverages (often versus rarely, odds ratio = 6.31, p = 0.044), the use of sunscreen (often versus rarely, odds ratio = 9.99, p = 0.015), and sleeping quality (fairly good versus very good, odds ratio = 0.16, p = 0.032). Cardiff Acne Disability Index indicated that greater severity of the acne was associated with worse quality of life ( p＜0.001). In conclusion, most male university students were of Yin-deficiency body constitution. Yin-deficiency body constitution was associated with greater occurrence of acne. Students should be aware of their own body constitution and adjust their lifestyle to achieve a balance in Yin and Yang. This will not only prevent the occurrence of acne and other diseases, but also improve the quality of life.
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