Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia.
Departments of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf P.O. Box 400, Saudi Arabia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Aug 2;21(8):1017. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21081017.
(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 = 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.
（1）背景：儿童功能性习惯性便秘（FC）是一种常见的胃肠道问题。本研究旨在探讨当地社区对这一问题的看法，强调父母在管理这种疾病及其对儿童生活质量的影响方面所面临的挑战。（2）方法：2023 年 3 月至 7 月进行了一项前瞻性、横断面、基于社区的研究。该调查共收到 933 份回复。目标人群是居住在沙特阿拉伯东部省的 18 岁以上成年人。以阿拉伯语设计了一份电子分发的问卷。（3）结果：女性的平均知识得分明显高于男性，t（931）=-2.701， = 0.007。Bonferroni 事后检验结果表明，20 至 29 岁的参与者的知识得分明显高于 30 至 39 岁的参与者。此外，结果显示，有三个或更多孩子的父母的知识得分明显高于只有一个孩子的父母。（4）结论：本研究表明，当地社区的父母对 FC 有较好的认知，但需要将认知与实践联系起来。他们倾向于报告高水平的认知，并表现出更好的实践。这些结果强调了探讨当地社区对儿童便秘看法的重要性。
