Obesity and functional constipation in children

Abstract

Background Functional constipation is a common pediatric problem in both developed and developing countries. In the past two decades, the prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide. Obesity itself leads to many health problems, including functional constipation. Studies correlating obesity to functional constipation have thus far mostly originated from developed countries. Objective To assess for a possible correlation between obesity and functional constipation in children in a developing country. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Mukhlisin Islamic Boarding School, Batu Bara District, North Sumatera Province, Indonesia, between July and August 2015. The subjects were 150 students aged 12 to 17 years. Questionnaires were used to determine functional constipation and filled by direct interview. Obesity was determined by body mass index. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test. Results Of 150 children, 49 had functional constipation; and 18 of the 49 were obese. The mean age of children with constipation was 14.7 (SD 1.07) years (95%CI 14.1 to 14.7) and their mean body weight was 53.8 (SD 15.10) kg (95%CI 49.4 to 58.1). The prevalence for functional constipation in obese children was 58% There was a statistically significant correlation between obesity and functional constipation (prevalence ratio=4; 95%CI 1.72 to 8.94; P=0.001), indicating that obese children had 4 times higher risk of having functional constipation. Conclusion There is a significant correlation between obesity and functional constipation in children. [Paediatr Indones. 2018;58:1-4 ; doi: http://dx

Prevalence and determinants of constipation in children in Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…However, we did not find a significant association between BMI and abnormal weight in relation to constipation, although children with abnormal body weight had a higher constipation prevalence than those without (18.4% vs. 12.9%). This finding contrasts with a previous report in adulthood, 74 and a recent meta-analysis 75 of nine studies (including one study in Asia 49 ) explored overweight/obesity was a risk factor for constipation in children residing in developed countries, but this effect was not observed in developing countries.…”

“…We identified that studies using Rome II criteria reported the highest constipation rate, reaching 27.4% in children from three community-based studies in East Asia. 17 , 22 , 25 Upon analysing 20 studies using Rome III criteria, the constipation rate was 12.3%; these studies included data obtained from 16 community-based studies, 24 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 51 , 54 , 55 and four clinical studies. 37 , 43 , 46 , 52 Meanwhile, the constipation rate diagnosed with the Rome IV was the lowest, at 4.4%, based on data analysed from five clinic-based studies, 50 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 62 and four community-based studies.…”

Functional constipation frequency and prominent etiological factors in a primary school in Diyarbakır

“…(2) yaptığı çalışmada fonksiyonel kabızlığın infant ve okul öncesi dönemdeki erkek çocuklarda daha sık görüldüğü ifade edilmiştir. Yapılan bazı çalışmalarda ise çalışmamızda olduğu gibi fonksiyonel kabızlık ve cinsiyet arasında ilişki olmadığı bildirilmiştir (17)(18)(19) . Gaita yapmayı ertelemenin fonksiyonel kabızlık gelişiminde rolü olduğu düşünülmektedir.…”

“…VKİ fonksiyonel kabızlıkla ilişkili olduğu düşünülen faktörlerden biridir (9,19,20) . Obez çocukların normal kilolu çocuklardan daha az lifli diyet tükettiği, daha az fiziksel aktivitelere katıldığı ve sedanter bir yaşam sürdürdüğü için kabızlık riskinin daha yüksek olduğu bildirilmiştir (9,19) .…”

“…VKİ fonksiyonel kabızlıkla ilişkili olduğu düşünülen faktörlerden biridir (9,19,20) . Obez çocukların normal kilolu çocuklardan daha az lifli diyet tükettiği, daha az fiziksel aktivitelere katıldığı ve sedanter bir yaşam sürdürdüğü için kabızlık riskinin daha yüksek olduğu bildirilmiştir (9,19) . Gelişmiş ülkelerin aksine gelişmekte olan ülkelerde çalışmamızda olduğu gibi artmış VKİ ile fonksiyonel kabızlık arasında bir ilişki saptanmadığı raporlanmıştır (16,21) .…”