Factors Associated With Self-reported and Medically Diagnosed Urinary Incontinence Among Community-Dwelling Older Women In Korea

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in community-dwelling Korean women 60 years or older, and to identify factors associated with self-reported and medically diagnosed UI. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of data from the 2008 Actual Living Condition of the Elderly and Welfare Need Survey, which used a stratified two-stage cluster sampling method to select a representative sample of 8,961 elderly Korean women. Results: Of the 8,961 women in this study, 579 (6.5%) had self-reported UI, and 209 (2.3%) were medically diagnosed with UI. As patient age and exercise ability of the upper extremities increased, risk for self-reported UI decreased (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-0.99; OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99, respectively). In contrast, as the number of limited instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) increased, the risk for self-reported UI increased (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.24-1.35). Overweight women were 1.94 times more likely to have self-reported UI compared to underweight women. Women with a history of stroke or asthma were more likely to have self-reported UI compared to women with no history. Also, women who reported being in good health were less likely to have UI, compared to women who reported being in poor health (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31-0.70). Medically diagnosed UI was negatively associated with the number of limited IADL and exercise ability scores for the lower extremities (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.80-0.92; OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99, respectively). In contrast, as the exercise ability score for the upper extremities increased, so did the risk for medically diagnosed UI (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03). Conclusions: An interventional program for home visit health services is needed for incontinent women who are highly dependent on others for IADL.