Watanabe Junichi, Furukawa Shinya, Yamamoto Yasunori, Kato Aki, Kusumoto Katsunori, Takeshita Eiji, Ikeda Yoshio, Yamamoto Naofumi, Saeki Yuka, Miyake Teruki, Yoshida Osamu, Hiasa Yoichi
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Yamagata Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Yamagata, JPN.
Health Services Center, Ehime University, Matsuyama, JPN.
Cureus. 2024 Nov 25;16(11):e74455. doi: 10.7759/cureus.74455. eCollection 2024 Nov.
Constipation is a very common medical issue among the general population worldwide. However, the association between exercise habits and constipation is still not fully understood. Additionally, no evidence regarding the association between exercise partners and constipation exists. This study aimed to evaluate this issue in a young Japanese population, taking the presence or absence of an exercise partner as an additional variable.
The study subjects consisted of 12,497 Japanese university students. Information on constipation, exercise frequency, exercise intensity, and exercise partners was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire. Constipation was defined as present if a student answered "Yes" to the question, "Have you been constipated often recently?"
The prevalence of self-reported constipation was 6.5%. Frequency and intensity of exercise were independently inversely associated with constipation. After adjustment for age, body mass index, drinking, smoking, anemia, and sports injury, exercise with groups and friends was independently inversely associated with constipation (groups: adjusted odds ratio (OR) - 0.70 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53-0.90), friends: adjusted OR - 0.56 (95% CI: 0.42-0.74)). After further adjustment by adding intensity and frequency of exercise to confounding factors, only the association between exercise with friends and constipation was still significant (adjusted OR: 0.61 (95% CI: 0.39-0.96)).
In this young Japanese population, the frequency and the intensity of exercise and the presence of exercise partners might be independently inversely associated with self-reported constipation. Exercising, especially exercising with others, may have a preventive effect on constipation, and opportunities to exercise with others should be provided.
便秘是全球普通人群中非常常见的医学问题。然而，运动习惯与便秘之间的关联仍未完全明确。此外，尚无关于运动伙伴与便秘之间关联的证据。本研究旨在以是否有运动伙伴作为额外变量，在年轻日本人群中评估这一问题。
研究对象包括12497名日本大学生。通过自填问卷获取便秘、运动频率、运动强度和运动伙伴的信息。如果学生对“你最近经常便秘吗？”这个问题回答“是”，则定义为便秘。
自我报告的便秘患病率为6.5%。运动频率和强度与便秘独立呈负相关。在调整年龄、体重指数、饮酒、吸烟、贫血和运动损伤后，与群体和朋友一起运动与便秘独立呈负相关（群体：调整后的比值比（OR）-0.70（95%置信区间（CI）：0.53-0.90），朋友：调整后的OR-0.56（95%CI：0.42-0.74））。在将运动强度和频率添加到混杂因素中进行进一步调整后，只有与朋友一起运动和便秘之间的关联仍然显著（调整后的OR：0.61（95%CI：0.39-0.96））。
在这个年轻的日本人群中，运动频率、强度以及运动伙伴的存在可能与自我报告的便秘独立呈负相关。运动，尤其是与他人一起运动，可能对便秘有预防作用，应提供与他人一起运动的机会。
