Prevalence of Constipation in Children Visiting Hameed Latif Hospital Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Constipation in children is one of the most common gastrointestinal clinical diseases, with an estimated 14% prevalence. Although constipation exists in all continents, the incidence of children in Asia especially in Pakistan is currently not properly defined. So, this study was planned to study the prevalence of constipation in children at Hameed Latif Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. The total sample size for our study was 228 children which fulfil our inclusion criteria having different conditions of immunization history. Information on different variables was collected from children with the help of a questionnaire. Collected information was analyzed by using SPSS 23 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software with the help of mean, standard deviation, frequency distribution, and chi-square at level of significance of 5%. The results showed that constipation is more common in males (59.6%) than in females (40.4 %). Most cases (70.6%) were found in the 1-5 years age group. The mean weight of children in our study was 23.59 ± 11.17 kg. In health assessment questions different responses were given by the children presenting that they suffer different problems regarding constipation. So need to address this issue to avoid this condition in children. Our study results will be helpful for parents and medical professionals in the management of this condition.