Prevalence of and attitude toward urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women

To investigate the prevalence of urinary incontinence, and the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Taiwanese women aged 60 years or older.

A nationwide epidemiological study was conducted and a sample of 2410 women was selected. Personal visits to 1517 women were completed.

A total of 485 (29.8%) women reported urinary incontinence; 250 (69.9%) urinary incontinent women experienced symptoms less than once a month. Regarding knowledge, attitudes, and practices, 822 (54.3%) of the women surveyed knew the meaning of urinary incontinence, and 147 (30.3%) with urinary incontinence had visited a doctor. The main reason given for not seeking medical help was shyness.

Although urinary incontinence is a common symptom, it is often not reported to doctors, which leads to undertreatment. From a public health perspective, there is considerable opportunity to improve women's quality of life by increasing health education about urinary incontinence and its treatment.