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Abstract
Purpose. To measure the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in a community-dwelling sample and the impact of self-reported UI on well-being and activity in older men and women.
Method. Participants were older adults aged ≥65 years. Measures included the frequency of urgency incontinence, depression, positive and negative affect and social activity, independence in activities of daily living (IADL) and self-rated health. The data were collected by face to face interview (1994) and computer assisted telephone interviews (1996).
Results. Of the 796 participants, 28%% experienced urgency incontinence and 21%% reported stress incontinence occasionally or often, with higher rates among women. The threshold for the impact on depression, negative affect and IADL was with occasional occurrence of urinary urgency incontinence. For positive affect and self-rated health, the threshold was experiencing urinary urgency incontinence often. The presence of urinary stress incontinence was associated with depression, IADL dependence, self-rated health and positive affect. Overall, women with incontinence had higher negative affect scores, but men with stress incontinence had higher scores than those without.
Conclusions. The impact of incontinence highlights the need for more effective management of the condition. The threshold for the effects of urinary urgency incontinence on mental health and functionality is lower than for the effects on general health. There is a need to consider how older people judge the impact of UI in the design of targeted health promotion programmes.
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Acknowledgements
This article is based on data from the Melbourne Longitudinal Studies on Health Ageing (MELSHA). The MELSHA programme has been funded by a large number of grants and supporting agencies. They include the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research Council. The programme is jointly led by Professor Colette Browning from Monash University and Professor Hal Kendig from the University of Sydney and includes collaborators from Sydney, Monash and La Trobe Universities. The baseline data were collected with funding from the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation for the Health Status of Older People project (Principal Investigators Hal Kendig and Rob Helme). Finally, our sincere thanks are expressed to the older adults who participated in the research through interviews and completion of detailed surveys.