Table 3.
Pooled prevalence of functional constipation according to sex, age band, educational level, socioeconomic status, and body mass index (BMI).
| Number of studies | Number of participants | Pooled prevalence (95% confidence interval) | Odds ratio (95% confidence interval) | I2 | p-value for χ2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | ||||||
| Male | 25 | 39,408 | 7.0% (4.6–10.7) | 1 | - | - |
| Female | 25 | 40,028 | 10.4% (7.5–14.3) | 1.53 (1.31–1.78) | 84% | <0.01 |
| Age band | ||||||
| ≤ 29 years | 13 | 15,545 | 4.0% (2.7–5.8) | 1 | - | - |
| 30–49 years | 14 | 31,591 | 4.9% (3.3–7.2) | 1.09 (0.93–1.29) | 62% | <0.01 |
| 50–69 years | 20 | 23,975 | 8.0% (5.4–11.7) | 1.41 (1.08–1.85) | 83% | <0.01 |
| ≥70 years | 15 | 11,614 | 14.9% (10.0–21.6) | 3.38 (2.16–5.30) | 87% | <0.01 |
| Educational level | ||||||
| Primary | 15 | 14,953 | 12.3% (6.9–21.0) | 1 | - | - |
| Secondary | 14 | 27,040 | 11.0% (6.4–18.5) | 0.87 (0.74, 1.03) | 69% | <0.01 |
| College graduate | 15 | 12,523 | 9.9% (6.1–15.7) | 0.97 (0.72, 1.31) | 82% | <0.01 |
| Socioeconomic status | ||||||
| High | 4 | 1,953 | 8.1% (5.4–12.1) | 1 | - | - |
| Medium | 4 | 9,386 | 10.1% (6.5–15.4) | 1.30 (0.76–2.22) | 0.87 | <0.01 |
| Low | 4 | 11,770 | 10.0% (4.8–19.8) | 1.28 (0.58–2.84) | - | - |
| Body mass index | ||||||
| ≤24.9 and ≥25 | ||||||
| ≤ 24.9 | 5 | 20,174 | 4.3% (3.5–5.4) | 1 | - | - |
| ≥25 | 4 | 2,232 | 4.2% (2.7–6.5) | 1.09 (0.67–1.76) | 73% | 0.01 |
| ≤18.5 and 18.5–24.9 | ||||||
| ≤ 18.5 | 3 | 2365 | 5.3% (2.9–9.5) | 1 | - | - |
| 18.5–24.9 | 3 | 15036 | 4.3% (3.2–5.9) | 0.79 (0.51–1.23) | 73% | 0.02 |