Premium
Prevalence of and attitude toward urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women
Author(s) -
Hsieh ChingHung,
Su TsungHsien,
Chang ShaoTung,
Lin ShuHui,
Lee MengChih,
Lee Mei Yu
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2007.08.013
Subject(s) - urinary incontinence , medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , epidemiology , shyness , gynecology , public health , family medicine , urology , anxiety , nursing , psychiatry
Objective To investigate the prevalence of urinary incontinence, and the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Taiwanese women aged 60 years or older. Method A nationwide epidemiological study was conducted and a sample of 2410 women was selected. Personal visits to 1517 women were completed. Results A total of 485 (29.8%) women reported urinary incontinence; 250 (69.9%) urinary incontinent women experienced symptoms less than once a month. Regarding knowledge, attitudes, and practices, 822 (54.3%) of the women surveyed knew the meaning of urinary incontinence, and 147 (30.3%) with urinary incontinence had visited a doctor. The main reason given for not seeking medical help was shyness. Conclusion Although urinary incontinence is a common symptom, it is often not reported to doctors, which leads to undertreatment. From a public health perspective, there is considerable opportunity to improve women's quality of life by increasing health education about urinary incontinence and its treatment.