Determining the relationship between fiber consumption and physical activity and bowel habits in office workers

Abstract

It is thought that bowel transit time decreases with reduced fiber consumption and physical activity in office workers who lead a sedentary life. The consumption of plant-based diets is decreasing due to technological advances, which leads to a decrease in dietary fiber consumption. Furthermore, officer workers have low physical activity levels. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between fiber intake, physical activity and bowel habits in office workers. A total of 100 office workers with a mean age of 33.25±7.28 were included in this cross-sectional study. A questionnaire consisting of 29 questions was prepared by the researchers. The questions on bowel habits were prepared based on the Rome III criteria and the Bristol scale was used as the diagnostic criteria of intestinal diseases. It was found that 50% of participants with low fiber consumption and 91.7% of those with high fiber consumption defecate once a day (p<0.05). A significant difference was found in the frequency of defecation according to the water consumption of the participants (p<0.05). It was not found difference between Bristol scale scores and defecation frequency of the participants according to physical activity levels (p>0.05). Further studies should be conducted to increase the knowledge level of individuals about healthy nutrition in order to improve bowel habits and lead a healthier life.

Keywords

• Bowel habits
• constipation
• dietary fiber
• office workers
• physical activity

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