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. 2024 Aug 2;21(8):1017.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21081017.

Exploring Community Perspectives on Functional Paediatric Habitual Constipation

Nawaf Al Khashram  1 , Ahmad A Al Abdulqader  2 , Haytham Mohammed Alarfaj  2 , Mohammed Saad Bu Bshait  2 , Ahmed Hassan Kamal  2 , Ossama M Zakaria  2 , Mohammed Nasser Albarqi  3 , Mohannad Adnan Almulhim  4 , Mazin Abdulwahab Almousa  4 , Abdullah Almaqhawi  3
Affiliations

Exploring Community Perspectives on Functional Paediatric Habitual Constipation

Nawaf Al Khashram et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

(1) Background: Functional habitual constipation (FC) in children is a common gastrointestinal problem. This study aimed to explore the local community's view on this problem, emphasising the challenges that parents face in managing the condition and its impact on the child's quality of life. (2) Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted between March and July 2023. The survey received 933 responses. The target population was adults over 18 years of age living in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. An electronically distributed questionnaire was designed in the Arabic language. (3) Results: The mean knowledge scores were significantly higher in females than males, with t (931) = -2.701 and p = 0.007. The Bonferroni post hoc test results indicated that participants between 20 and 29 years exhibited significantly higher levels of knowledge scores compared to those between 30 and 39 years. Furthermore, the results revealed that those with three or more children had significantly higher knowledge scores compared to those with only one child. (4) Conclusions: This study demonstrated that parents in the local community have a good perceived knowledge of FC, but it needs to be linked with practice. They tended to report high levels of perception and demonstrated better practices. These results emphasise the importance of exploring the local community's view on constipation among children.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; habitual constipation; paediatrics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scree plot generated through parallel analysis. All four retained factors are positioned above the intersection point of the actual and simulated data.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Measurement model and factor loadings associated with each questionnaire construct. Yellow rectangles symbolise the questions (factors and items), while blue circles depict the constructs (latent variables and domains).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Health issues connected to constipation, according to the participants (N = 933).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Participants’ responses about their perceptions of the impacts of constipation on organic and psychological health.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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