Half of South Koreans used their mobile phones while sitting on a toilet, research conducted to promote colon health showed Tuesday.

Seven out of 10 Koreans said they defecate at least once daily and spent an average of 6.1 minutes on the toilet, the report by the Korean Society of Coloproctology and research company Macromillembrain said. They surveyed 2,000 Koreans living in Seoul and metropolitan cities aged 16 to 69.

Three out of 10 said they have experienced constipation, while 8 out of 10 said smooth defecation helped better the quality of everyday life. More teenagers surveyed, 8 out of 10, were found to be using their phones while on the toilet.

In order to alleviate constipation, most, or 55.6 percent, opted to drink lactic acid drinks or water (49.6 percent) or ate fruits and vegetables (42.4 percent), rather than getting medical help or consuming laxatives.

“Feeling compelled to defecate at least once every day, sitting on a toilet for a long period of time for the sake of a regular bowel movement or depending on public remedies based on groundless hearsay can lead to adverse effects,” the report said.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)