Let's talk poop.
Most parents know far more about it than they ever thought possible, or ever really wanted to know. But here's something you may not know: There's actually a scale of poop texture that helps doctors communicate about bodily waste. And recently, thanks to a scientific study and some plastic modeling, the texture scale comes to life in order to help kids understand poop.
A group of doctors in Chicago recently published an article entitled, "Assessment of Commonly Used Pediatric Stool Scales: A Pilot Study." These doctors wanted to find out if kids responded better to verbal descriptions of poop texture or whether they could relate better to 3-D models of bowel movements.
The Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) is a standardized list of poop descriptors. I hadn't even realized such a thing existed until I read this article! But apparently, the poop can be labeled type 1 (hardest) to type 7 (softest). Each type has a corresponding analogy to help kids understand. For types 1-3, poop can be described as "rabbit droppings," or "bunch of grapes," or "corn on the cob." Type 4 poop is like a "sausage," and type 5 is like "chicken nuggets." Types 6 and 7 are described as porridge" and "gravy," respectively. How appetizing!
Study authors hired an artist to take those verbal descriptions and fashion 3-D models of each type of poop. The final models were affixed in clear resin "toilet water" (and the models even "floated" or "sank," depending on the type of poop!) and displayed in a miniature porcelain toilet.
If you're a little grossed out by this point, you're not alone. But hey, a plastic model probably smells better than the real thing, huh?
Cute as the miniature toilet and poop models were, they didn't help everyone understand poop better. Some kids had a much easier time using them to assess and discuss stools. Other kids didn't relate well to either descriptions or models.
When asked to match poop descriptions to a type on the BSFS, only about 1/3 of kids answered correctly. The 3-D models gave a slight advantage—about 46 percent of kids could match the plastic poop with its correct description on the BSFS—but the change wasn't statistically significant.
Too bad. It would be fun to see mass-produced models like this in our pediatrician's office. Complete with the miniature porcelain toilet, please. My kids would never again be bored waiting for the doctor.
Granted, this is an important field of study. I've had to take several of my children to the pediatric gastroenterologist, and it's certainly no laughing matter to talk about poop when your child's health is on the line. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded some plastic models at the moment I was trying to describe my kids' poop to the specialist. Well, doc, it's kind of a brownish-green color and tends to be shaped like an armadillo, except some days when it's more like Milk Duds...
Have you ever needed to communicate with your kids (or your doctor) about poop? Would a model help? Tell us below!
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