CHICAGO — Constipation is something that is increasingly being talked about, not only in public conversations but also on social media. But the value of the information disseminated varies widely, according to a new study looking at videos talking about constipation available on TikTok.

Videos posted by medical professionals received an average 4305 views and 145 interactions per day, whereas nonmedical videos received 29,654 views and 1738 interactions daily, said Seo Yeon Yoo, a medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey.

“There is a big gap between what people like to interact with and pay attention to vs the quality of information that’s out there,” said Yoo, one of the study co-authors who presented the results in a poster at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026.

Talking About Constipation

“Everyone’s talking about constipation. In clinics, we see a lot of people who come in for something completely different, and they say, Oh, by the way, I’ve also been constipated. What do you recommend?” Yoo told Medscape Medical News.

“So I wanted to take a deep dive on what is out there in terms of constipation material on TikTok,” she said.

Yoo, Juhyun Lee, and colleagues found 52 TikTok videos that met study criteria. They assessed each for quality, reliability, and treatment suggestions.

They categorized videos as informational, personal, or humorous and looked at whether the creator was a medical professional or not. They also noted any mentions of medical and/or dietary treatments and tracked engagement metrics, including likes and shares.

Quality and reliability of information was rated using the DISCERN scoring system and overall video quality was rated using a 5-point Global Quality Scale (GQS).

Overall, 73% of the 52 videos came from nonmedical sources; 52% were informational, 37% were personal, and 8% were humorous. Informational videos scored significantly higher on quality than personal videos (DISCERN score of 31 vs 19.5; P < .0001).

The advice on treating constipation varied widely, Yoo said. Just fewer than half, 46%, mentioned specific treatments, most commonly magnesium citrate, water, and MiraLAX. Prunes, fiber, and kiwi were also discussed; sugar and honey were recommended to ease constipation in one instance each.

The overall mean DISCERN score was 25 out of 80, reflecting fair quality. Medical creators produced significantly higher quality content than nonmedical creators, with a mean DISCERN score of 33 vs 22 (P < .0001). GQS quality also ranked significantly better among medical creators, a 2.9 vs a 1.8 (P = .0003).

Guidance for Clinicians on TikTok

Healthcare professionals should be aware of what sources patients use for information and discuss evidence-based constipation management, including appropriate use of both lifestyle modifications and medications, the researchers noted. Reputable sources of information include the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Gastroenterology and American Gastroenterological Association 2023 guideline on chronic constipation management.

“I think it’s harder for medical professionals to be entertaining,” Yoo said. “People who do skits and things like that tend to get many more views than people who are just talking about information.”

Yoo recommended medical professionals or societies post TikTok videos about constipation with simpler messages, stick to one idea per video, and post a series instead of trying to fit a lot of guidance into one video.

‘Not Entirely Surprising’

Evidence-based recommendations are not going to necessarily get the same level of clicks as videos that are more geared toward getting attention, Kyle Staller, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist and the director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Mass General in Boston, said when asked to comment.

“It’s not entirely surprising that the medical providers were less likely to generate the same level of enthusiasm as the nonmedical folks,” said Staller, who was not affiliated with the study.

“And many people have a lot of ingrained beliefs about constipation even before they show up and meet a gastroenterologist,” he told Medscape Medical News, adding that information posted by medical professionals is valuable.

“Certainly, people with chronic constipation really would benefit from evidence-based treatments,” he said.

Comparing Pooping Positions

In a second study presented in a poster at the meeting, researchers contrasted use of a 7-inch footstool (Squatty Potty, Trademark Global LLC) vs a 2-inch sham footstool to facilitate complete bowel movements among 84 women who completed bowel diaries at baseline.

Investigators enrolled 37 women with Rome III functional constipation and another 47 with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation who completed 2-week baseline bowel diaries; patients with at least six complete spontaneous bowel movements in 2 weeks were randomly assigned to a 7- or 2-inch footstool for 4 weeks. After exclusions and withdrawals, the researchers randomly assigned 31 women to each intervention. Participants in the randomized controlled trial agreed only to take a laxative as a rescue if constipation lasted 48 hours.

The investigators assessed weekly complete spontaneous bowel movements, spontaneous bowel movements, and related symptoms. They controlled for baseline measures and BMI. The primary outcome measure was the change in mean weekly complete spontaneous bowel movement frequency after 4 weeks compared to baseline.

Key Findings

Complete spontaneous bowel movements increased from 0.69 to 1.42 per week with the 7-inch footstool vs 0.87 to 1.17 from baseline to 4 weeks with the 2-inch footstool. Stool frequency, straining, and incomplete evacuation also improved but with no significant differences between groups.

“We compared the treatment effects between 7- and 2-inch footstools, and unfortunately, that was not significant,” study investigator Ramesh Lamichhane, MBBS, a research fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told Medscape Medical News.

“Overall, this finding indicated that footstools may have a limited clinical benefit in patients with constipation who are not using laxatives,” Lamichhane said.

Asked how physicians might counsel patients who ask about a 7-inch footstool, “This is not the sole treatment for constipation. I would say it would be an adjunct to consider,” Lamichhane said.

The Study May Be Underpowered

The Squatty Potty “is something that patients ask us about all the time,” Staller said when asked to comment. “The idea is to get the knees above the level of the hips to kind of relax the pelvic floor in a passive way, without the patient having to do anything else.”

Staller added the current study was likely underpowered to show a significant difference. In addition, the researchers chose a rigorous endpoint: complete spontaneous bowel movements.

“If you look at some of the pharmaceutical studies in constipation, with the endpoint of complete spontaneous bowel movements, they really need hundreds of patients to actually seem to move the needle with a pharmacologic treatment,” he explained.

An unanswered question is whether any participants had pelvic floor dysfunction, a subgroup that might be more likely to respond to use of a 7-inch footstool than others who have slow transit constipation, Staller said.

“The take-home message could be that maybe not everyone benefits from this, but I still think that there’s potential for subgroups in our population to benefit,” he said, adding that the Squatty Potty is a lower-risk, noninvasive option compared to medical treatment or other interventions.

The studies were independently supported. Yoo, Lamichhane, and Staller had no relevant disclosures.

Damian McNamara is a freelance contributor to Medscape Medical News. He worked full-time for Medscape and WebMD from 2018 to 2024. Damian has a BA in chemistry and an MA in science, health, and environmental reporting/journalism.