Abstract
Introduction: The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and health seeking behaviour of women with urinary incontinence andtheir knowledge of pelvic floor exercises, in a health district in KwaZulu-Natal.Methods: An observational cross-sectional study design was used. BetweenSeptember 2005 and November 2005, a questionnaire was administered to 99 womenaged 21 – 76 years at randomly selected from. Results: The study found that the prevalence of the urinary incontinence was 35% (95% Confidence Interval, 26 to 45). The most common type of incontinencewas stress urinary incontinence, 63% (95% CI, 46 to 79). Of the 99 women, 32%(95% CI, 23 to 42) had heard of pelvic floor muscle exercises, while only 18% (95%CI, 11 – 26) had actually carried out the intervention. Of the 35 women with urinary incontinence, 26% had soughtprofessional help, the most common reason for seeking help being a worsening in condition.Conclusion: The prevalence of urinary incontinence in KwaZulu-Natal is high, knowledge of urinary incontinenceas a disease and its management, among both women and health service providers is poor.
Highlights
The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and health seeking behaviour of women with urinary incontinence and their knowledge of pelvic floor exercises, in a health district in KwaZulu-Natal
The total prevalence of Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) was 23.2% (23), Mixed Urinary Incontinence (MUI) was 11.1% (11) and Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI) was 1.0% (1), n=99. (Fig 1)
Urinary Incontinence (UI) is very common among adult women in this health district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with a prevalence of 35.4%
Summary
The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and health seeking behaviour of women with urinary incontinence and their knowledge of pelvic floor exercises, in a health district in KwaZulu-Natal. Urinary Incontinence (SUI), Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI) and Mixed Urinary Incontinence (MUI) Both Pelvic Floor Muscle (PFM) exercises with and without biofeedback have been shown to significantly improve symptoms of UI.[10] Randomised controlled trials and a Cochrane systematic review recommended that PFM exercises are an effective first-line, safe alternative treatment for all three types of incontinence.[1,8] Despite strong evidence for therapy being available, Australian women’s knowledge, practices and intentions regarding correct PFM exercises in 2000 was poor and they required to be taught how to do the exercises correctly.[11]
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