Bristol Stool Form scale and bowel movement frequency

Participants completed a questionnaire prior to, or during, the clinic visit which included questions on stool consistency and frequency of bowel movements. Participants answered two questions: (1) ‘How many bowel movements have you had in the last 7 days?’ (None/1/2–3/4–6/7 or more), (2) ‘Using the Stool Chart below please define the consistency of your stools on average in the last 3 months?’ (Type 1/Type 2/Type 3/Type 4/Type 5/Type 6/Type 7). An image of the Bristol Stool Form (BSF) scale¹⁵ was displayed along with the latter question with a written description.