Not pooping at school causing stomach problems in children

School students do not like to use the toilets at school and that is causing stomach aches. Half almost never do a bowel movement at school and the majority regularly hold it, research by the Maag Lever Darm Foundation found. The foundation calls for schools to provide clean and private toilet facilities for their students.

“Pupils find the toilets too dirty and because of a lack of privacy,” director Mariël Croon told the NOS Radio 1 Journaal. “They often have swinging doors that you can look under and children sometimes find that funny to do, but that does not provide privacy.” Dozens to hundreds of children use school toilets every day, and they’re only cleaned in the evening. “That is not enough,” Croon said.

Holding poop in all day is causing problems for kids. “We received signals from parents, but also from the medical world, such as the Children’s Abdomen Center in Amsterdam. We then conducted research among a thousand children and their parents. It showed that half of them hardly ever go, and a majority hold it in,” Croon said.

Nearly half (43 percent) experienced complaints like stomach aches as a result. “In one in six cases, it is so serious that they even have to go to the doctor,” Croon said. “We were shocked by that.”

The foundation wants schools to offer safe toilet facilities with sufficient privacy and cleanliness. “And for this to also be monitored,” Croon said. “At the moment, this is not being done everywhere,”

“It is also important that children know that it is very unhealthy to hold your stool. Healthy toilet behavior is an important topic, and we are going to see if schools can do something about it.”