Perfect poo and good health connect in teaching tool for children - ABC News
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A central Queensland professor is taking the taboo out of poo to teach children about the link between eating well and making healthy poo.
The 'Poop it' kit uses illustrated stories and rewards to educate four to eight-year-olds about what a healthy poo looks like.
It was developed by Professor Kerry Reid-Searl from CQUniversity, who partnered with paediatric nurses, academics, and undergraduate students.
The inspiration behind the project comes from the professor's desire to take the embarrassment out of talking about what we flush down the toilet.
"Many people are ashamed or reluctant to talk about poo, yet there is such an important link between good health and poo," she said.
"As a nurse I have encountered many children with bowel problems, and my understanding from the anecdotal responses from parents of these children is that the psychosocial impact can be significant.
"So this project is very much about giving children an awareness of a topic that probably fascinates them, but more importantly provides them with information that can influence their everyday being."
What does a healthy poo look like?
It's already a topic that gets kids giggling. But to make learning about what goes into making good and bad poo fun, the professor and her team created characters that illustrate the meaning behind the shape of the poo we make.
"There are seven different types of poos, from rabbit droppings right through to gravy-type poos, but the best healthy poo is a sausage-shaped poo where it's like a sausage — smooth and brown."
The Poop it kit will include stories, games, and activities geared towards children, but parents are encouraged to get involved in the learning process.
"There are wall posters that children can be rewarded with according to the best poos they do, but more importantly, children will understand what different types of poos mean," the professor said.
"So, if they are doing rabbit droppings, the children can then think 'Hey! My poos are dry so what I need to do is drink more water and move around more', so it's really about offering simplistic messages to children."
Bad poos can impact upon learning
Professor Reid-Searl said one of the crucial ideas behind the creation of the Poop it kit was the association between learning difficulties and the health of a child's digestive system.
"There is a growing amount of research showing an increase in the number of children with bowel-related issues, such as constipation," she said.
"It can impact children psychologically when they experience an unhealthy bowel, and often those problems in the bowels in childhood can manifest right into the adult years."
Another role the Poop it characters are taking on is showing kids why avoiding overly processed foods and being active can make us feel good on the inside.
"It's about getting kids away from the fizzy drinks, sitting around and watching TV or being on devices, and when kids make that association, they see the relationship between the bowels and good health."
Professor Reid-Searl acknowledged the kit would not cure the chronic issues some children may experience, but it got children to be more aware of how their body worked.
"When a child runs up to Dad and says 'Guess what? I've done a sausage poo, Dad!' that's fantastic and the parent can put a star on the poster."
Wanting to get the word out
Although the Poop it kit is still in the developmental stage and will initially be distributed to a group of participants to try, Professor Reid-Searl and her CQUniversity colleagues hoped to secure more funding so the kit could be distributed to schools, hospitals, clinics and most importantly into the hands of parents nationwide.
"For me as a researcher and nurse, I love taking on projects where I believe that the outcomes can be translated into real world practice," she said.
"Really, poo is a topic that can make a difference for children and ultimately their parents and caregivers."
Topics: child-health-and-behaviour, diet-and-nutrition, diseases-and-disorders, academic-research, education, irritable-bowel-syndrome, bowel-and-rectal-cancer, stomach-and-digestion, offbeat, human-interest, rockhampton-4700
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