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School Bathroom Habits Impact Lifelong Bladder Health

School Bathroom Habits Impact Lifelong Bladder Health

By: Clare E. Close, M.D., F.A.A.P. (SWHR Interdisciplinary Network on Urological Health in Women member) | Posted on: 25 May 2016


School Bathroom Habits Impact Lifelong Bladder Health

If you are one of the 20 million women in the U.S. who have experienced leaking, wet pants or leaving your seat at the movies or theater to run to the bathroom, take a look at your childhood. Did you sit on your heel, were you told to "wait" or "hold it," or were you too distracted to go to the bathroom?

If you have children, have you ever seen them behave similarly? Have you ever wondered if your child's bladder is okay? Did you know that what children fear most, right behind the loss of a parent, is wetting their pants at school?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, read on. You're not alone.

Every fall, there's a significant threat to bladder health as young children attend school for the first time and older students adjust again to their school schedules. Many children of all ages are forced to change their normal toileting habits during school. Parents are in the dark, and teachers are unaware of the damage being done to kids' bladder health.

A survey of elementary teachers showed that over 80 percent of teachers encouraged students to hold their urine. Many of these teachers admitted that they used rewards and even penalties to enforce toileting rules. In middle school and high school, there are very short breaks between classes, and many students end up holding their urine all day long.

The bladder stays healthy when it fills and empties without getting overfull. This means your child needs to go to the toilet every 2 to 3 hours. Drinking water helps flush the bladder, and having a normal daily bowel movement makes it easier to empty the bladder. Problems start when the bladder or bowel movement is forced to be held. Common problems include the need to urinate suddenly or very often, daytime accidents, bedwetting, urinary tract infections, stool accidents, and bladder pain. In young girls, 1 in 5 have these problems, and many of them will carry these problems into their adult lives.

Hall passes, bus schedules or classroom rules should not control your child's toilet habits. Your child, not the school, ought to be in control of their toilet habits.

Keeping in mind that most teachers have not been taught about bladder health, it is important to encourage your child's teachers, school nurses, and principals to implement a program to promote good bladder health at school. Ask your child and their teacher about the current classroom toilet rules. Can your child ask to go to the toilet in a way that is not difficult or embarrassing? Are the toilets clean and safe?

Is there time to go other than at lunch and recess (when children don't want to go because they will miss eating and playing)? Many children do not understand that they can urinate when they don't feel full and so they may not go during a set toilet break. Even so, when they need to go, they should be allowed to go. The bathroom should always be open!

This year, the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR®) launched its Interdisciplinary Network on Urological Health in Women to promote bladder and urinary tract health across a woman's lifespan.


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