Urinary Incontinence and Care Seeking Among Wisconsin Women

Women who identify as Black or African American are underrepresented in research about pelvic floor disorders.

The objectives of this study were to describe the prevalence of and factors associated with urinary incontinence (UI) and UI care-seeking among adult women in a Wisconsin household survey.

This was a cross-sectional analysis of data collected by the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW). Using community engagement, individuals who identified as Black or African American were purposively oversampled in the 2018-2019 wave. Descriptive analyses compared women with and without UI, and those who had and had not sought care.

Among 237 study participants, 46% (110) had UI: 46% mild, 36% moderate, and 18% severe. Most participants (84%) self-identified as non-Hispanic Black (84%), with a mean age of 49 ± 16 years and mean body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 34 ± 9; 62% were insured by Medicaid. The prevalence of UI was 44% among women who identified as non-Hispanic Black versus 59% (P = 0.085) among other women. Older age, obesity, needing help to read medical instructions, and identifying as a race other than non-Hispanic Black were significantly associated with UI. Among 110 women with UI, 53% had previously sought care. Rates of UI care seeking were similar (P = 0.32) among women who identified as non-Hispanic Black (55%) and those who identified as another race or ethnicity (43%).

Needing help to read medical instructions emerged as a factor associated with UI diagnosis in this sample that included almost 200 women who identified as non-Hispanic Black.