Article

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.

Langue : ANGLAIS