世論 What Japan Thinks

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Now here’s a rather delicate subject to conduct a survey on! From my point of view, the three big everyday lifestyle ailments many Japanese, especially women, seem to suffer from are stiff shoulders, cold hands and feet, and constipation. I have been trying to get to the bottom of the third topic for a while, as it were, so I am pleased to be able to present to my readers the results of a survey by MyVoice into health and constipation.

Demographics

Over the first five days of November 2007 a surprisingly high number of 19,667 members of the MyVoice online community completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 2% were in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 28% in their forties, and 16% in their fifties.

Just for reference, the word used for bowel movements in this survey was お通じ, otsuuji.

Human poo is not quite the same taboo subject that it is in the west, I feel; from poo hats to children’s songs about poo (sadly videos no longer available) via lucky gold poo charms.

I also like one series of advertisements for a laxative called Collac and their rakko, otters, that look suspiciously like dancing poo. Try the button in the bottom right-hand corner, then either of the two buttons at the bottom right of the next screen.

Research results

Q1: On average, how frequently do you have bowel movements? (Sample size=19,667)

Twice a day or more	16.7%
Once a day	52.7%
Once every two days	15.6%
Once every three days	7.1%
Once every four or five days	2.5%
Once every six or seven days	0.5%
Once every eight days or more	0.5%
Irregular	4.4%

Q2: Do you have any problems associated with your bowel movements? (Sample size=19,667, multiple answers)

Pass gas frequently, smelly gas	24.5%
Intestines feel clogged	22.8%
Diarrhoea	20.5%
Constipation; want to go but can’t	18.7%
Hard stools	13.4%
Hemmoroids, blood after toilet	10.9%
Weight increase	10.8%
Soft stools	10.3%
Concerned about noise, smell in toilet	9.3%
Feel there’s still more to come out	9.2%
Skin comes out in spots	8.1%
Stomach painful before, during bowel movement	7.2%
Feel bad about waste stuck inside	7.2%
Distended, painful stomach	7.0%
Feel bad about bad bacteria growing in my intestines	6.1%
Cosmetics won’t apply smoothly, rough skin	4.5%
Feel ill, nauseous, headache	2.3%
Lose appetite due to constipation	1.8%
Other	1.9%
Don’t have any problems regarding bowel movements	29.7%
No answer	0.3%

Q3: When you have issues with bowel movements (constipation, diarrhoea, etc), what sort of things do you do? (Sample size=19,667, multiple answer)

Eat foods that increase good bacteria	30.1%
Take in fluids, drink water every morning	29.8%
Eat foods high in dietary fibre	20.7%
Take over-the-counter medicines for constipation, intestinal health	19.6%
Massage lower body, do exercises	15.3%
Drink milk, green tea	15.2%
Eat vegetables or fruits every day	13.3%
Eat a proper breakfast	9.5%
Take intestinal health medicines to improve intestine function	7.6%
Go to the toilet at regular intervals	7.3%
Take foods that aid digestion	6.0%
Grin and bear it and wait for the call of nature	5.2%
Take prescription medicine	3.4%
Don’t give up half-way, keep pushing until it all comes out	2.9%
Limit food or drink	1.9%
Have an enema	1.2%
Other	2.0%
Don’t do anything in particular	31.4%
No answer	0.4%

Q4: When you have issues with bowel movements, do you take medicine? (Sample size=19,667)

Usually use medicine	4.5%
Use depending on severity	26.3%
Don’t use medicine	66.4%
No answer	2.8%

Q5: When you have issues with bowel movements, how do you feel regarding using medicine? (Sample size=19,667, multiple answer)

If possible, want to cure it without using medicines	30.7%
Worry about how my body will react to medicines	25.9%
Medicines seem to lose their effectiveness as time passes	18.5%
Basically not an effective method of treatment	17.2%
Not good to continue to use them	17.1%
Cause stomachaches	9.8%
Too effective, so are a problem when outside	8.0%
Embarrassing to buy	1.7%
Just have to use them	0.4%
Other	1.1%
Nothing in particular	39.2%
No answer	1.0%

Q6: To keep yourself regular, what sort of things do you usually try to pay attention to? (Sample size=19,667, multiple answer)

Drink water	45.8%
Drink yoghurt, other lactic acid drinks	36.5%
Eat lots of vegetables, fruits	34.2%
Eat foods rich in dietary fibre	32.0%
Eat a proper breakfast	29.9%
Have a regular lifestyle	28.3%
Go to the toilet as soon as one feels the need	22.6%
Don’t avoid going to the toilet at work, outside	9.2%
Do exercises to help bowel movement	7.5%
Don’t store up stress	6.8%
Don’t have an unbalanced diet	6.4%
Get enough sleep	5.7%
Relieve stress	3.8%
Try not to drink too much	2.6%
Make easy on the stomach foods part of normal diet	2.4%
Use Chinese medicines regularly	1.0%
Visit the doctor regularly	0.8%
Other	1.8%
Nothing in particular	24.9%
No answer	0.3%

Q7: If you were regular, and kept healthy intestines, how do you think that would change your daily life? (Sample size=19,667, multiple answer)

Have that refreshed feeling every day	52.8%
Have a clean body from ridding myself of bodily toxins	41.7%
Can enjoy food every day	19.8%
Can lose weight naturally	19.4%
Can spend each day bright and lively	15.4%
Have no worries about stomach illnesses	13.6%
Can go off for long trips	6.7%
Can enjoy fashion	3.9%
Can hang out with friends and colleagues worry-free	3.5%
Other	1.0%
No particular change	25.7%
No answer	0.6%