Over 1/4 of primary school kids avoid Japanese squat toilets, causing constipation: survey – The Mainichi

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1. >TOKYO — One in three boys and nearly one in five girls in elementary school can’t use the Japanese-style squat toilets commonly found in schools, a survey by the nonprofit organization Japan Toilet Labo has found. It also revealed a correlation between holding in poop at school and childhood constipation.

   >The survey, targeting first to sixth graders and their parents across Japan, was conducted online on Nov. 9 and 10, and received responses from 1,000 families.

   >The results showed that 26.7% of all the children said they could not use Japanese-style toilets. By gender, 33.4% of boys and 18.9% of girls said they could not use them. The percentage of boys and girls who answered they “can use Japanese-style toilets although it’s uncomfortable” was 47.1% and 55.3% respectively, indicating that even children able to use Japanese-style toilets often dislike them. The ratio of those who said they use them “without discomfort” was only 19.5% for boys and 25.8% for girls.

   >The survey furthermore found that 9.9% of the children covered were constipated and 10.2% were pre-constipated — totaling over 20% of the survey group.