Baseline characteristics of children and their participating parents
|
Children with functional constipation (N=127) |
Control children (N=91) | p-Value | |
| Boys, n (%) | 70 (55) | 54 (56) | 0.640 |
| Mean age child in years (SD) | 9.4 (±3.6) | 9.1 (±3.3) | 0.470 |
| Mean duration of symptoms in years (SD) | 5.1 (±3.4) | n/a | – |
| Presence of faecal incontinence, n (%) | 99 (78) | n/a | – |
| Presence of withholding behaviour, n (%) | 75 (59) | n/a | – |
| No of participating parents, n (%) | |||
| Both mother and father | 104 (82) | 66 (73) | 0.075 |
| Only mother | 12 (9) | 18 (20) | 0.038 |
| Only father | 11 (9) | 7 (8) | 0.780 |
| Children with divorced/separated parents, n (%) | 25 (20) | 6 (7) | 0.006* |
| Highest education parents, n (%) | |||
| Primary school | 0 (0) | 1 (1) | 0.417 |
| Secondary school | 17 (13) | 11 (12) | 0.839 |
| Vocational education | 81 (64) | 46 (51) | 0.053 |
| University | 23 (18) | 33 (36) | 0.003* |
| Other | 6 (5) | 1 (1) | 0.243 |
| Having at least one unemployed parent | 23 (18) | 12 (13) | 0.356 |