Constipation predominates in boys during early childhood.  It can be particularly severe and resistant to treatment with one of the major consequences being overflow with incontinence it often dates at infancy and has its basis in poor nervous function of the bowel that requires intensive laxative therapy over a long period of time.  Recent surveys of 1,200 families Australia wide show that there is a significant lack of information about fibre and only 1 in 10 children have a high fibre breakfast cereal or piece of fruit per day.  This contributes in a major way to the frequent symptoms of abdominal pain , constipation and diarrhoea.

In contrast families whose children attend a preschool are much better educated in terms of dietary fibre and their children experience little in the way of abdominal symptoms. This is a very important lesson that the simple addition of a high fibre breakfast cereal and a piece of fruit per day may reduce problems in children and in the teenage years.