Postmenopausal women’s adherence to pelvic floor muscle exercises over 2 years

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to investigate women’s adherence patterns to pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME), their associated factors and within-pattern changes.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis using data collected from 647 women aged 55 years and older in the USA. Women were randomly assigned to either a 2-h class group or an equivalent content 20-min DVD group to receive PFME complemented with adherence enhancement strategies. Adherence was assessed at 3, 12 and 24 months using three self-reported items matching PFME parameters. The k-mean clustering and multinomial logistic regression were used to investigate adherence patterns and their associated factors, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used for within-pattern changes over time.

Results

Four adherence patterns, A, B, C and D, were identified. Women who displayed optimal adherence to all three aforementioned items, i.e. adherence pattern A, constituted 49.1%, 38.2% and 37.2% of women at 3, 12 and 24 months, respectively. Women with income > US$100,000 were more likely to display adherence pattern A within 12 months. Of women who had adherence pattern A at 3 months, 63.9% and 49.2% continued in this pattern at 12 and 24 months.

Conclusions

Fewer than half of women displayed adherence pattern A for 2 years. Early optimal adherence predicted women’s subsequent optimal adherence.

摘要

目的:本研究旨在调查女性对盆底肌运动（PFME）的坚持模式, 其相关因素和坚持模式内变化。

方法:该研究是一项二次分析, 收集了647名年龄在55岁及以上的美国女性的数据。女性被随机分配到2小时课程组或20分钟DVD等量内容组接受PFME坚持增强训练。在3个月、12个月和24个月时, 应用三个与PFME参数匹配的自我报告项目评估依从性。采用k-均值聚类和logistic回归分别调查坚持模式及其相关因素。描述性统计用于随时间变化的模式。

结果:确定了A、B、C和D四种坚持模式。在3个月、12个月和24个月的女性中, 49.1%、38.2%和37.2%的女性对上述三项匹配参数都表现出最佳的坚持, 即坚持模式A。收入为10万美元的女性在12个月内更有可能表现出坚持模式A。在3个月时遵循A模式的女性中, 63.9%和49.2%在12个月和24个月时继续遵循A模式。

结论:少于一半的女性显示坚持模式A超过 2年。早期最佳依从性预示着女性后续的最佳依从性。

Keywords:

• Pelvic floor
• exercise therapy
• treatment adherence and compliance
• urinary incontinence
• postmenopause
• women

Potential conflict of interest

The authors did not receive any specific financial support from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors for this secondary analysis, and declared that they had no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The Translating Unique Learning for Incontinence Prevention (TULIP) study was funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research [Grant R01NR012011].