Self-management of Childhood Constipation

Constipation affects 1 in 3 children in the UK. Symptoms are unpleasant for children and challenging for parents/carers to cope with. Constipation can resolve, but around half of children with constipation continue to have symptoms over several months or years. Spotting and managing symptoms early can help reduce the time children have them. Recent research suggests parents/carers can find it hard to ask for help and get useful advice online. Parents/carers also report feeling dismissed by health care professionals when help is sought. This means we need better support resources (or interventions) to help parents/carers manage their child’s constipation.

This project will find out what parents/carers of children aged 6 months to 5 years need from a new resource. We will carry out an online survey to find out parents/carers thoughts about constipation and resources they have used before. We will also chat to parents/carers about the ups and downs of managing constipation from their perspective. Findings will be used to plan a new resource to help parents/carers manage their child's constipation. The project is being conducted in collaboration with ERIC, The Children's Bladder and Bowel Charity.

NIHR SPCR FR5 project 632
https://www.spcr.nihr.ac.uk/research/projects/self-management-of-childhood-constipation

Researchers:

Dr Rachel Dewar-Haggart: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/medicine/about/staff/rr4g08.page
Miss Riya Tiwari: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5y5tfk/miss-riya-tiwari
Dr Samantha Hornsey: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5xk5z6/doctor-samantha-hornsey