Evaluation of diet, life style and stress in the etiopathogenesis of constipation in geriatric people

Abstract

Diet, lifestyle and mental status are known to play pivotal roles in the occurrence of many chronic diseases. Constipation is one amongst them, which is the commonest complain and significant healthcare problem especially in elderly that increases with age and affect ones physical and mental wellbeing. It is the premonitory symptoms of many existing or forthcoming diseases. In the present study, the survey of elderly patients with constipation has been done to evaluate the patterns of dietary habits, life style and mental health along with their relationships with risk factors for constipation in Saurashtra region of Gujarat especially in the Jamnagar city. Data shows that the majority of the patients were male. Of all the respondents, stress, sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, and ruksha (dry), sheeta (cold) diets, bad eating habits like vishamashana (irregularity in time and quantity of meal), viruddhashana (incompatible diet) were found to be linked to constipation. The elders reporting constipation had tension, anxious mood, depressed mood, disturbed sleep and delayed onset of sleep.