The prevalence of urinary incontinence and its impact on quality of life among the university female staff in South Africa

摘要

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common problem?among females and has been associated with significant decreased quality of ?life. Few ?women ?seek ?help ?for ?this ?condition ?with ?only ?a ?few ?who consult?physiotherapy treatment.Purpose: To determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence and its impact?on quality of life among the university women in South Africa.Method: ?A ?quantitative ?cross-sectional ?study design ?with ?145 ?women ?ran-domly selected from the university. A questionnaire was used to determine UI?Diagnosis; Impact on Qol and treatment seeking tendencies. BMI was meas-ured objectively. ethical clearance was obtained from University. Data was analysed using SPSS 17.0Results: ?Forty ?six(32%) ?women ?reported ?to ?having ?UI. ?Risk? factors ?associated ?with ?UI ?included ?age, ?race, ?and ?obesity. UI had a significant negative impact on quality of life and only 4.4% of participants with UI consulted physio-therapy for this condition.Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of UI among the women at this university with a significant impact on quality?of life.The role of Physiotherapy in management of UI has been demonstrated and there is therefore a need to empower?women with non-invasive treatment options, like physiotherapy.