Urinary incontinence in female university students

We aimed to determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in nulliparous female university students and to provide an overview of risk factors associated with urinary continence.

A total of 1,397 female university students aged 18-28 years were enrolled into this cross-sectional questionnaire study. The self-administered questionnaires, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF), Overactive Bladder V8 (OAB-V8), demographics, and general characteristics were recorded. The frequency, type, and severity of urinary incontinence and related factors were evaluated.

The mean age of the students was 20.27 ± 1.69 years. The prevalence of UI in female university students was 18.4% (n = 258). ICIQ-SF total score was 0.85 ± 2.11 (0-14). OAB-V8 total score was 5.97 ± 5.35 (0-40) and 27.0% of participants had scores of ≥8. Elevated BMI, childhood enuresis, constipation, exercising, positive family history for UI, accommodation in a dormitory, and holding urine at school are risk factors associated with UI in female university students.

We demonstrated that UI is a common condition among female university students. The identification of the associated risk factors will help to further raise the knowledge and awareness of the problem, and preventive strategies may be proposed to young women to improve the quality of life and psychological well-being.