The effect of Parent Education Through Blended Educational Content on Improving Children’s Constipation: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background and aims: The lack of acceptance and insufficient cooperation of the child or parents are among the critical causes of constipation recurrence and inappropriate response to treatment. This study investigated the effect of blended educational content on parent education compared to routine education. Methods: Overall, 70 children with constipation were included in this randomized clinical trial study. Mothers were allocated to two control and intervention groups. Blended educational content in 6 1-hour sessions (2 sessions on how to encourage children to defecate on time, 2 sessions on nutrition to relieve constipation, and 2 sessions on lifestyle related to constipation) in the form of PowerPoint, video, and animation, and questions and answers through a virtual group were presented to mothers. The outcomes were measured by Rome III criteria before and six months after the start of treatment, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Results: The training of mothers had a significant effect on reducing the symptoms of constipation, including the history of bowel movements≤2 times a week, excessive stool retention, painful bowel movements, bowel movements with a large diameter, and abdominal pain (P<0.001). Conclusion: Parents should be educated with blended educational content to speed up recovery, reduce the treatment period, and prevent the recurrence of children’s constipation. This method is suggested for use in medical centers to speed up patients’ recovery.