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

INTRODUCTION: Functional constipation is a frequently seen gastrointestinal problem in childhood. Rome IV criteria have been proposed in recent years for the diagnosis of functional constipation. The objective of this study is to evaluate frequency of functional constipation in primary school children using the Rome IV criteria and to evaluate the factors associated with functional constipation. METHODS: A primary school was chosen in the center of Diyarbakır Province was chosen between January 2019 and February 2019 for a prospective cross-sectional epidemiological study. A total of 535 cases aged 6-10 years were included in the study. Data collection forms consisting of three parts were distributed to 1.000 students. In the first part, age, gender, height, weight, maternal education level, family economic level were evaluated. In the second part, the habit of eating, participating in physical activities, the time spent sitting in front of TV or computer, delaying the need to use toilet voluntarily, and in the third section, the criteria of Rome IV and the use of the school toilet were questioned. RESULTS: The incidence of functional constipation according to the Rome IV criteria was 24.8 percent. No statistically significant relationship was determined in respect of age, gender, body mass index, maternal education level, family economic level, physical activity or time spent on watching television. There was a statistically significant relationship between consumption of few vegetables and fruits, food with very low fiber content and not using school toilets and functional constipation (p<0.05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Functional constipation is more common in primary school children who have low consumption of vegetables and fruits and who do not use the school toilet.