Children and adolescents with chronic constipation: how many seek healthcare and what determines it?

This island-wide cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the healthcare consultations in Sri Lankan children with constipation. Children aged 10-16 years were randomly selected from five randomly selected schools in three randomly selected provinces of Sri Lanka. Data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire based on Rome III criteria. Of the 2770 questionnaires distributed, 2694 (97.3%) properly filled questionnaires were included in the analysis. From 416 (15.4%) children with chronic constipation, only 16 (3.8%) had sought medical advice during the previous 12 months. Younger children and those with a similar family history were more likely to seek healthcare. The majority of children with symptoms indicating severe constipation such as painful defecation, large volume stool, faecal incontinence and blood stained stools had not sought medical help for their symptoms. Parents should pay more attention to bowel habits of their children to identify and treat constipation early to prevent complications.