Table 3.
Characteristics of studies regarding the epidemiology of constipation in Oceania.
| First author, year of publication, setting | Type of study | Definition of constipation | Study population (% of responders) | Prevalence per 100 | Factors significantly associated with increased odds for constipation | Quality score+ | Comments |
| Howell SC 2006 Sydney [32] | Mailed questionnaire survey | Rome II criteria | 1673 (42.6) persons, 25–64 yr, randomly selected from 28 districts | 30.7 | Upper-middle educational social class. Female gender. | 6 | F/M 1.4 |
| Campbell 1992 New Zealand [33] | Interview-questionnaire survey and a dietary assessment | ≤ 3 DPW, strained at stools, taking laxatives every 2–3 days | 856 (91) participants> 70 years registered with the five general practitioners serving a rural township of 13500 people | 4.3 had ≤ 3 DPW 20.3 had one of the three factors that may indicate constipation | Female gender and age | 3 | F/M 1.76 |
| Bytzer P 2001 Sydney [34] | Mailed questionnaire survey | At least one of < 3 DPW, hard or lumpy stools, anal blockage, during preceding 3 months | 8555 (57), divided into 5 socioeconomic classes, from 1st (highest) to 5th (lowest) quintiles | 1st: 6.3 2nd: 8.7 3rd: 9.6 4th: 10.3 5th: 10.2 |
Low socioeconomic class. | 6 | |
| Chiarelli P 2000 Australia [35] | Questionnaire survey | Sometimes or often experiencing constipation symptoms during the preceding 12 months | 14761 (41) women 18–23 yr 14070 (54) women 45–50 yr 12893 (37) women 70–75 yr |
14.1 (18–23 yr) 26.6 (45–50 yr) 27.7 (70–75 yr) |
Haemorrhoids and 'other bowel problems' in all three cohorts. Parity in the young cohort. Hysterectomy, prolapse repair, and medications in the middle-aged and older cohorts. | 3 | |
| Talley NJ 2004 New Zealand [36] | Questionnaire survey | Defined below* | 924 persons 26 yr old, from a birth cohort (94 of total original sample) | 19.9 | Female gender. | 5 | F/M 1.3 |
Abbreviations DPW: defecations per week, F/M: female/male ratio, Rome II criteria: at least 12 weeks, which need not be consecutive, in the preceding 12 months, of two or more of: < 3 DPW, hard or lumpy stools in > 1/4 of defecations, straining in > 1/4, digital manipulation of stools in > 1/4, sensation of incomplete evacuation in > 1/4, sensation of anorectal obstruction or blockage in > 1/4, *: at least one of less than three bowel movements weekly, hard or lumpy stools, straining on defecation, incomplete evacuation, in the preceding 12 months, RCT: randomized controlled trial, +: critical appraisal guidelines for research articles determining prevalence, developed by Loney et al14