Funding outcome

Childhood functional constipation is a common condition, affecting about 1 in 5 Canadian children. Functional constipation can cause pain, stool accidents, loss of appetite, urinary accidents and infections. Functional constipation makes life very difficult for children and families, causing stress, feelings of unhappiness, bullying, and school absences. Although helpful treatments exist, 40% of children do not get adequate care and their symptoms may continue into adulthood. Ongoing treatment for childhood functional constipation occurs at home; however, families often report difficulty managing. Many parents try to get help by taking their child to the emergency department. Research has shown that parents generally look for information about their child's health prior to coming into an emergency department, and many prefer to access information online. This means developing digital resources to give parents clear, effective, and accessible child health information has enormous potential to benefit children, families, and the healthcare system. Story-based approaches for education and behaviour change have been used successfully to promote smoking cessation, vaccine education, and diabetes management. My project will create a digital, story-based educational tool for parents managing childhood functional constipation. I will interview parents to understand their experiences and information needs, and then combine families' stories with the best research evidence on the treatment of childhood functional constipation. The tool will be evaluated and made widely available on digital and social-media platforms. The goals of the project are to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits, empower parents in health decision-making, and improve child and family health outcomes.