Influence of Dietary Oatmeal Supplementation on the Defecation Status in Elderly Living in a Long-term Care Institution

Abstract

老年人因老化、生理功能改變、咀嚼能力減弱、罹患各種慢性疾病及用藥等多重因素影響下，使便秘成了老年人常見的問題。我國人口扶養結構轉變為以扶老為主，入住老人照護機構的老年人也逐漸增加，有文獻指出目前照護機構處理住民便祕的方法是使用緩瀉劑，還需定期給予灌腸，但長期規律使用灌腸則會使電解質不平衡，及增加直腸穿孔的機會，降低生活品質，因此本研究欲使用食療方式，來改善便祕狀況。 燕麥中的水溶性纖維可幫助腸內益菌生長，增加腸胃蠕動及保水，讓糞便容易排出，本研究使用市售燕麥片介入來測試對於長期照護機構老年住民便祕的改善效能。 研究以26 位住民為試驗對象，固定於每天下午飲用燕麥牛奶，然後比較燕麥介入前、中及後之每日排便情形及相關影響因素(腸蠕動的次數及強度、排便的次數及性質，與灌腸情況)的變化情形，另討論介入前後體重、身體質量指數及血膽固醇。 研究結果顯示，燕麥片的飲用對於腸蠕動次數的改善有正面效應，分析結果具有統計上的顯著意義，燕麥片停止介入後，上述之效用可延續；腸蠕動的中度強度人數有隨著飲用天數增加而增加；排便次數為1次的人數增加，而有較多受試者排便之糞便性質較趨於Type 3及Type 4；挖便人數隨著飲用天數增加而減少，自行排便人數增加。

Constipation has become a common problem in the elder due to aging, physiological changes, weakening ability to chew, suffering from various chronic diseases and medication under the influence of multiple factors.The structure of population support in our country has shifted to mainly helping the elderly, and the number of the elderly people who are staying in the elderly care institutions has also gradually increased. Literature shows that the current treatment of resident care agencies cure constipation is to use laxatives, but also regularly give enema. However, use of enemas in regular over a long period of time will make the electrolyte imbalance, increase the chance of rectal perforation, and reduce the quality of life. Therefore, this study would like to use diet to improve constipation. Water-soluble fiber in oats can help the growth of intestinal bacteria, increase gastrointestinal motility and water retention. Therefore excrement can be easily excreted. This study used a commercially available oatmeal intervention to test for improvement in the efficacy of constipation for elderly residents in long-term care settings. In this study, 26 residents were used as experimental subjects, and they drank oat milk every afternoon. Then compare the daily defecation before and during the oats intervention with the related factors (the number and intensity of peristalsis, the number and nature of defecation, Enema situation) changes, and the other before and after intervention to discuss the body weight, body mass index and cholesterol. The results showed that the consumption of oatmeal had a positive effect on the improvement of the number of peristalsis, and the results of the analysis were statistically significant. After the intervention of oatmeal, effects mentioned above could be extended; The number of defecation increased once, while the defecation of more subjects tended to have Type 3 and Type 4. The number of people digging out decreases with the number of drinking days ,while the number of defecation increased.