Table 1.
Characteristics of the Control Group and those with Functional Constipation
| Variable | Control | Functional Constipation | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 100 | n = 102 | ||
| Age, mean (±SD) | 56.8 (6.2) | 55.3 (8.3) | 0.15 |
| Males, % | 46.0 | 46.1 | 0.99 |
| Body Mass Index, kg/m2 (±SD) | 31.5 (1.9) | 31.1 (2.1) | 0.64 |
| Spontaneous Bowel | |||
| Movement/d (median) | 1.0 | 0.5 | < 0.001 |
| Bristol Stool Type (median) | 3.0 | 2.0 | < 0.001 |
| Without Health Insurance (%) | 7.0 | 10.8 | 0.11 |
| Highest Education Level (%)* | 0.38 | ||
| < 12th grade | 28.3 | 20.6 | |
| High School Grad | 57.6 | 58.8 | |
| College Grad | 14.1 | 19.6 | |
| Income, dollar/yr (%) | 0.07 | ||
| < 20,000 | 57.0 | 64.7 | |
| 20–50,000 | 33.0 | 19.6 | |
| >50,000 | 10.0 | 15.7 | |
| Marital Status (%) | 0.006 | ||
| Separated | 19.0 | 6.9 | |
| Married | 32.0 | 22.5 | |
| Never Married | 38.0 | 49.0 | |
| Divorced | 11.0 | 21.6 | |
| Exercise, d/wk (median) | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.13 |
| Co-morbid Condition (%)** | 23.0 | 56.9 | <0.001 |
| Frequency, n | |||
| congestive heart failure | 2 | 4 | |
| COPD | 5 | 2 | |
| coronary artery disease | 1 | 1 | |
| chronic headaches | 0 | 5 | |
| degenerative arthritis | 12 | 31 | |
| chronic low back pain | 8 | 28 | |
| depression | 3 | 18 |
*
1 subject in control group did not report education level.
**
Percent does not equal sum of co-morbidities divided by total in group as some subjects with >1 comorbidity.