Department of Internal Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
Department of Endoscopy, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan.
Front Public Health. 2024 Jan 16;12:1258020. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1258020. eCollection 2024.
Chronic constipation (CC) is one of the most frequently reported gastrointestinal disorders in the general population and a prominent problem among university students. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and the associated factors of CC among Japanese university students.
This cross-sectional study was conducted among university students at Hiroshima University, Japan. Students answered the web questionnaire when making a web reservation for the health checkup (April 1 to May 31, 2023). The web questionnaire consisted of four sections, including baseline characteristics, lifestyle factors, family history of CC, and three scales to assess depression and eating disorders: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT)-26 and Bulimic Investigatory Test (BITE). CC was diagnosed using Rome IV criteria. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine CC-related factors.
Out of 10,500 individuals who participated in the annual health checkup, 7,496 participants answered the web questionnaire, of whom 5,386 answered all the survey questions. The mean age of the students was 21.1 ± 4.1 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.17. The prevalence of CC was 13.7%. Factors significantly associated with CC in the multivariate model were first-degree family members with CC [Odd ratio (OR): 2.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.31-3.31], severe depression according to BDI scale (OR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.96-3.43), female sex (OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.69-2.36), and short sleep duration of 6 hours or less per day (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.09-1.50). Lack of physical exercise tended to be associated with CC (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.00-1.40).
CC is prevalent among Japanese university students. Significant risk factors for CC included the first-degree family history of CC, severe depression, female sex, and short sleep duration. Lack of physical exercise tended to be associated with CC. This may contribute to implementing suitable education health programs, health care professionals, and public health policies to identify individuals at risk for CC to prevent and treat CC effectively.
慢性便秘（CC）是普通人群中最常报告的胃肠道疾病之一，也是大学生中突出的问题。本研究旨在评估日本大学生中 CC 的患病率及其相关因素。
本横断面研究在日本广岛大学的大学生中进行。学生在进行健康检查预约时（2023 年 4 月 1 日至 5 月 31 日）回答网络问卷。网络问卷包括四个部分，包括基线特征、生活方式因素、CC 的家族史以及评估抑郁和饮食失调的三个量表：贝克抑郁量表（BDI）、饮食态度量表（EAT）-26 和贪食症调查测试（BITE）。使用罗马 IV 标准诊断 CC。使用多变量逻辑回归模型确定与 CC 相关的因素。
在参加年度健康检查的 10500 人中，有 7496 人回答了网络问卷，其中 5386 人回答了所有调查问题。学生的平均年龄为 21.1 ± 4.1 岁。男女比例为 1:1.17。CC 的患病率为 13.7%。多变量模型中与 CC 显著相关的因素是一级亲属中有 CC（比值比（OR）：2.77，95%置信区间（CI）：2.31-3.31）、根据 BDI 量表严重抑郁（OR：2.59，95%CI：1.96-3.43）、女性（OR：2.00，95%CI：1.69-2.36）和每天睡眠 6 小时或以下（OR：1.28，95%CI：1.09-1.50）。缺乏体育锻炼也与 CC 有关（OR：1.19，95%CI：1.00-1.40）。
CC 在日本大学生中很常见。CC 的显著危险因素包括一级亲属的 CC 病史、严重抑郁、女性和短睡眠持续时间。缺乏体育锻炼也与 CC 有关。这可能有助于实施适当的教育健康计划、卫生保健专业人员和公共卫生政策，以确定有 CC 风险的个体，从而有效预防和治疗 CC。
