Potential risk factors for constipation in the community.

Constipation is a common community health problem. There are many factors that are widely thought to be associated with constipation but real-world evidence of these associations is difficult to locate. These potential risk factors may be categorised as demographic, lifestyle and health-related factors.

Laxative Use in the Community: A Literature Review.

Laxatives are widely available without prescription and, as a consequence, they are commonly used for self-management of constipation by community-dwelling adults. However, it is not clear to what extent laxatives are used. Nor is it clear how laxatives are chosen, how they are used and whether consumers are satisfied with their performance.

Chronic Constipation in the Community: A National Survey of Australian Adults.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of chronic constipation and identify factors associated with chronic constipation in community-dwelling adults.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: The target population was community-dwelling Australian adults; 1978 participants completed an online questionnaire exploring symptoms, management, and factors potentially associated with constipation.

Use of over-the-counter laxatives by community-dwelling adults to treat and prevent constipation: a national cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Constipation is commonly self-managed with over-the-counter laxatives. The study aim was to explore laxative choice, healthcare professional recommendations in laxative selection, and laxative effectiveness when laxatives are used for treatment and for prevention of constipation by community-dwelling adults.

Methods: A nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults in Australia was surveyed.

Defining constipation to estimate its prevalence in the community: results from a national survey.

Background: Different definitions of constipation have been used to estimate its prevalence in the community but this creates difficulties when comparing results from various studies. This study explores the impact of different definitions on prevalence estimates in the same population and compares the performance of simple definitions with the Rome III criteria.

Methods: The prevalence of constipation in a large nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults was estimated using five simple definitions of constipation and compared with definitions based on the Rome III criteria.

Laxative Use and Self-Reported Constipation in a Community-Dwelling Elderly Population: A Community-Based Survey From Australia.

The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the prevalence of laxative use and self-reported constipation and (2) identify risk factors associated with constipation in a community-dwelling elderly population. A retrospective cross-sectional survey using data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing was used to explore laxative use and constipation in a cohort of community-dwelling older persons. The prevalence of laxative use was 15% and the prevalence of self-reported constipation was 21%.

A longitudinal study of constipation and laxative use in a community-dwelling elderly population.

Background: Little is known about laxative use, the association of constipation with laxative use, risk factors for constipation and how each of these changes over time in the community-dwelling elderly.

Objective: The aim was to explore the prevalence of laxative use and of self-reported constipation, and identify risk factors (including age) associated with constipation, in a cohort of community-dwelling elderly residents.

Methods: Data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA) was used to compare differences in constipation and laxative use in the community-dwelling elderly between 1992-1993 and 2003-2004.