Urinary incontinence: severity, perceptions and population prevalence in Australian women

Abstract

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in women responding to the 2001 South Australian Health Omnibus Survey, a representative sample of the adult South Australian population. We examined the associations between the perception of seriousness of UI, its severity and other factors. The response rate for the survey overall was 71.3% and 1549/3037 respondents were women, UI was reported by 579/1549 (37.4%) of female respondents and severe incontinence defined by use of continence management aids by 146/1549 (9.4%). Respondents with any UI, who considered their condition to be very or moderately serious, were more likely to report severe incontinence. Women whose lifestyle was limited by incontinence were more likely to perceive their condition to be very serious. Together, severity and limitations to lifestyle were predictors of women perceiving that their incontinence was moderate to very serious. Help-seeking for incontinence may improve if education and information target women who use continence management aids, who have difficulty being involved in activities or who use other management strategies.