Assessing Parental Knowledge and Worry about Childhood Constipation among Malaysian Parents

Introduction: Childhood constipation is common and may lead to unnecessary worry among parents. Parental knowledge regarding childhood constipation has not been adequately explored with validated tools in the past. This study aimed to evaluate parental knowledge regarding childhood constipation among Malaysian parents and its association with parental worry, as well as sociodemographic factors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study utilizing data from the validation study for a newly developed tool to measure parental knowledge regarding childhood constipation. The questionnaire was administered via an online survey to Malaysian parents with children aged less than 18 years old. It consisted of 9 true-false items with scores ranging from 0 to 9. Descriptive analysis and non-parametric bivariable analysis were conducted. Result: A total of 219 parents responded to the online survey, of which 179 (81.7%) had a child who experienced constipation in the past. The total mean score of knowledge was 7.32±1.63 and a median score of 8 (IQR 3.00). The knowledge score showed a weak negative correlation with the parent’s level of worry (r = -0.261, p< 0.001). Parental knowledge was also higher in parents with tertiary level education (Median = 8.00, IQR = 2) compared to parents with up to secondary level education (Median = 7.00, IQR = 2, p = 0.007). Parental knowledge score was also higher among parents from the higher income categories. Conclusion: Parental knowledge regarding childhood constipation was generally good in this sample of parents. Parents with higher knowledge were less worried. Education level and income were associated with the level of knowledge. Improving parental knowledge regarding childhood constipation, behavioral approaches and the need for investigations may be helpful to reduce unnecessary worry among parents dealing with childhood constipation.