In order to determine bowel patterns and perceptions of diarrhea and constipation in young adults not seeking health care, we surveyed 1128 young adults about their bowel habits. The mean number of stools varied by race and sex. Whites reported more frequent stools than nonwhites (7.8 vs 6.0 stools per week, P<0.0001) and="" men="" reported="" more="" frequent="" stools="" than="" women="" (9.2="" vs="" 6.7="" stools="" per="" week,=""><0.0001). milk="" and="" coffee="" consumption="" differed="" by="" race="" and="" sex,="" but="" did="" not="" account="" for="" the="" differences="" in="" stool="" frequency.="" subjects="" were="" asked="" to="" estimate="" the="" percentage="" of="" the="" time="" their="" stools="" were="" normal="" or="" abnormal.="" the="" median="" value="" for="" normal="" was="" 85%="" of="" the="" time;="" only="" 3.6%="" of="" subjects="" reported="" diarrhea="" greater="" than="" 25%="" of="" the="" time,="" and="" only="" 7.3%="" reported="" constipation="" greater="" than="" 25%="" of="" the="" time.="" subjects="" most="" commonly="" defined="" constipation="" as="" straining="" and="" hard="" stools="" and="" diarrhea="" as="" looselwatery="" stools="" and="" urgency.="" investigators="" should="" use="" race-="" and="" sex-specific="" norms="" to="" study="" individuals="" who="" have="" patterns="" which="" deviate="" from="" the="" usual.="" investigators="" and="" clinicians="" must="" also="" consider="" definitions="" used="" by="" their="">
Key Words diarrhea - constipation
Supported in part by Grant AM29934 from the National Institutes of Health. The authors thank the Department of Family Medicine and the Student Health Service of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Memorial Hospital Employee Relations Office for permission to administer the survey.