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Relationship between nutritional factors and functional constipation among institutionalized elderly people from the Osijek-Baranya County

Background: Functional constipation is a common problem in clinical practice, especially among elderly subjects. Nutritional factors play significant roles in etiology of this problem. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of functional constipation among institutionalized elderly people from the Osijek-Baranya County and to evaluate the major contributing factors associated with this condition. Methods: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted during May 2007 among 234 institutionalized elderly people from the Osijek-Baranya County. The questionnaire contained questions on the elderly subject’s age, sex, weight, height, average daily intake of water, intake of food supplements and intake of additional foodstuffs. Functional constipation was diagnosed by Rome II criteria. In 16 daily meals from different nursing homes located in the Osijek-Baranya County amount of cellulose was determined. Results: According to Rome II criteria for constipation among all subjects there were 39.3% (92/234) positive subjects, 75% (69/92) females and 25% (23/92) males. The mean amount of cellulose in all meals was 7.21±5.11g/kg. The average daily intake of water in the group of constipated subjects was 1.2 L daily. Only 43.5% (40/92) constipated subjects eat fruit each day. Conclusions: The mean daily intake of cellulose (approximately 15 grams per day) is certainly one of the major contributors to established prevalence of constipated subjects in the group of institutionalized elderly people from the Osijek-Baranya County. Additional factors are also low intake of fluid and low intake of fruit. Further investigations are needed to better understand other possible causes of such high prevalence of constipation among this vulnerable subpopulation.

cellulose; diet; constipation; elderly; nutrition

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