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

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of constipation and related factors based on the Rome II constipation criteria for diagnosis in the elderly.

This cross-sectional study was carried out at a nursing home in Ankara. The present study was conducted with the participation of 160 elderly individuals who were living in the nursing home and who met the criteria for participation in the research. Data were collected by means of face-to-face interviews with the Introductory Characteristics Data Form and the Rome II constipation diagnostic criteria form. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used for data analysis.

The average age of the elderly individuals is 78±8.1 (min: 65, max: 95). 51.9% of elderly individuals have a constipation problem according to Rome II constipation diagnosis criteria. When the criteria for the diagnosis of Roma II constipation were examined, it was found that 44.4% of the elderly individuals experienced difficulty/intense straining while defecating, 29.4% had a hard stool, 53.8% had a feeling of inadequate stooling/full emptying, 30.2% had bowel movements twice a week or less. The results of this study concluded that there are more constipation problems 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 home for more than 11 years (p<0.05).

According to the findings of our study slightly more than half of the elderly people living in nursing homes have problems with constipation. It is important to determine constipation and risk factors at an early stage and support regular exercise in elderly individuals.