Determining the Prevalence of Constipation and Relating Factors in Elderly People: A Nursing Home Study

Aim: This study was conducted to determinethe prevalence of constipation and related factors based on the Rome IIconstipation criteria for diagnosis in the elderly.

Method: This cross-sectional study wascarried out at a nursing home in Ankara. The present study was conducted withthe participation of 160 elderly individuals who were living in the nursinghome and who met the criteria for participation in the research. Data werecollected by means of face-to-face interviews with the IntroductoryCharacteristics Data Form and the Rome II constipation diagnostic criteriaform. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used for data analysis.

Results: The average age of the elderlyindividuals is 78±8.1 (min: 65, max: 95). 51.9% of elderly individuals have aconstipation problem according to Rome II constipation diagnosis criteria. Whenthe criteria for the diagnosis of Roma II constipation were examined, it wasfound that 44.4% of the elderly individuals experienced difficulty/intensestraining while defecating, 29.4% had a hard stool, 53.8% had a feeling ofinadequate stooling/full emptying, 30.2% had bowel movements twice a week orless. The results of this study concluded that there are more constipationproblems in elderly individuals who do not have regular physical activity,consume less than 2 liters of water per day and have lived in a nursing homefor more than 11 years (p<0.05).

Conclusion: According to the findings ofour study slightly more than half of the elderly people living in nursing homeshave problems with constipation. It is important to determine constipation andrisk factors at an early stage and support regular exercise in elderlyindividuals.

Cite this article as: Birimoğlu-Okuyan, C.ve Bilgili, N. (2019). Determining the prevalence of constipation and relatingFactors in elderly people: A nursing home study. FNJN Florence NightingaleJournal of Nursing, 27(2), 157-165.