Abstract
Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a women’s health problem that imposes major problems for personal quality of life. Objective: The aim is to determine the effect of a Behavioral Intervention Program on the quality of life of the elderly females with urinary incontinence, who referred to Jahandidegan center in Shiraz-Iran, 2011. Material and methods: The participants consisted of 60 women aged 60-74 years with QUID questionnaire’s scores for different types of incontinence (stress score ≥ 4, urge score ≥ 6 and mix score ≥ 10). QUID questionnaire was used for patients with urinary incontinence. It also gave us the possibility to determine the types of urinary incontinence. For matching, we placed an equal numbers of each type of urinary incontinence in each group. Ten subjects from each type were placed in two groups of 30 each (intervention and control groups). Then, incontinence quality of life questionnaire (I-QOL) was used to estimate the impact of incontinence on the participants’ quality of life. After the completion of a Behavioral Intervention Program and 2 months later, I-QOL questionnaire was completed by the intervention and control groups. Descriptive statistics, paired t-test and repeated measurement were used to analyze the data. Results: Overall, the program was effective in relieving symptoms by improving quality of life related to urinary incontinence, and this effect continued after a 2 months period. Conclusion: Behavioral therapy was an empowerment mechanism for incontinent women in improving their quality of life. Thus, it is suggested that the health care providers pay more attention to this issue and train women regarding the prevention of urinary incontinence.
Highlights
As population ages, the number of patients referring to their primary care physicians with urologic problems is significantly increasing
Overall, the program was effective in relieving symptoms by improving quality of life related to urinary incontinence, and this effect continued after a 2 months period
It is suggested that the health care providers pay more attention to this issue and train women regarding the prevention of urinary incontinence
Summary
The number of patients referring to their primary care physicians with urologic problems is significantly increasing. Urologic issues are the third most common type of complaint in patients 65 years of age or older which account for at least a part of 47% of office visits. One of the most predominant urologic problems among the elderly is urinary incontinence [1]. At least 1 in 10 people aged 65 years or older suffers from incontinence [3]. Urinary incontinence is a frequent and bothersome symptom that [4] can occur at any age, but is especially common in elderly women [5]. Pelvic floor muscle weakness associated with age and/or childbirth and inadequate treatment of urinary tract infections can cause long term damage [3]. Urinary incontinence (UI) is a women’s health problem that imposes major problems for personal quality of life
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