The daily diary and the questionnaire are not equivalent for the evaluation of bowel habits

Bellini, Massimo; Bove, Antonio; Sormani, Maria Pia; Battaglia, Edda; Bocchini, Renato; Alduini, Pietro; Bassotti, Gabrio; Bruzzi, Paolo; Pucciani, Filippo; the Italian Constipation Study Group,

doi:10.1016/j.dld.2009.04.008

« Previous Next »Digestive and Liver Disease
Volume 42, Issue 2 , Pages 99-102, February 2010

The daily diary and the questionnaire are not equivalent for the evaluation of bowel habits

Massimo Bellini
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Pisa, Via Paradisa 2, 56126 Pisa, Italy
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 050 997394; fax: +39 050 997398.
Antonio Bove
- Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy Unit, “A. Cardarelli” Hospital, Naples, Italy
Maria Pia Sormani
- Biostatistics Unit, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Italy
Edda Battaglia
- Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopic Unit, Asti, Italy
Renato Bocchini
- Polyspecialistic Medicine Unit, Cesena, Italy
Pietro Alduini
- Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy Unit, Massa, Italy
Gabrio Bassotti
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Section, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy
Paolo Bruzzi
- National Cancer Research Institute, Genoa, Italy
Filippo Pucciani
- Department of Medical and Surgical Critical Care, University of Florence, Italy
the Italian Constipation Study Group
- The following members of the Italian Constipation Study Group participated in the study: M. Bellini, S. Biagi, F. Costa, N. De Bortoli, D. Gambaccini, C. Mammini, M.G. Mumolo, A. Ricchiuti, S. Marchi (Pisa); A. Bove, A. Balzano (Naples); M.P. Sormani, P. Bruzzi (Genoa); E. Battaglia, P. Niola, C. Verna, M. Grassini (Asti); R. Bocchini, M. Cimatti, L. Fornasari, I. Montaletti, P. Pazzi (Cesena/Forlì); P. Alduini, I. Berni, G. Ceccarelli (Massa); G. Bassotti, N. Corazzi, B. Morozzi, L.Barreto Neto Viegas (Perugia); F. Pucciani, I. Giani, N. Ringressi (Firenze).

Received 22 October 2008; accepted 14 April 2009. published online 27 May 2009.

Abstract

Background

It is unclear whether questionnaires and diary cards, which are widely used to collect data on bowel habits, provide analogous information.

Aims

We verified the concordance between the data provided by a daily diary and a retrospective questionnaire.

Methods

A 4-week diary (DIARY) concerning bowel habits was compiled by 221 subjects. They were also asked to fill out a questionnaire on their bowel habits before (BEF) and after (AFT) the diary period.

Results

Concerning bowel movements, no significant difference was detected in the concordance between BEF and DIARY (ρ: 0.80), AFT and DIARY (ρ: 0.84), or BEF and AFT (ρ: 0.84).

The mean concordance in the other defecation-related parameters between BEF and DIARY (K: 0.62) and between DIARY and AFT (K: 0.63) were both significantly lower than that seen between BEF and AFT (K: 0.80; p<0.01).

Conclusion

A considerable discrepancy between the two methods of assessment was found. The higher concordance between BEF and AFT than between DIARY and AFT regarding defecation-related parameters suggests that when a subject recalls events, even those from the recent past, he/she tends to generalize, reporting more or less the same data for different periods of time. These two instruments cannot be viewed as interchangeable, and their inherent differences must be taken into account when deciding which one to employ in different settings.

Keywords: Bowel habits, Diary card, Questionnaire