Prevalence of urinary incontinence, impact on quality of life and associated factors in users of Primary Health Care Units in Governador Valadares

Abstract

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) has a considerable negative impact on quality of life, resulting in psychosocial, emotional and health impairment, high costs to the health system and limited activities of daily living. Objective: To describe the proportion of women with UI and its impact on quality of life (QOL), and investigate the factors associated with this condition among users of Primary Health Care Units (PHCUs) in the municipality of Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais state (MG), Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study with female users of the municipal PHCUs. A questionnaire compiled by the researchers was used for data collection. Participants who reported urine leakage in any situation completed the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF). Results: A total of 201 women took part in the study, 36.32% of whom had UI and obtained a score of 7, indicating a moderate impact on their QOL. Urinary incontinence was associated with age, income, body mass index and parity. Conclusion: The proportion of women with UI corroborates the prevalence described by the International Continence Society (ICS), moderately impacting quality of life and indicating normalization of the problem. Urinary incontinence was also correlated with age, income, BMI and number of pregnancies. This demonstrates the need for health education strategies at PHCUs to prevent and treat UI in this group, as well as intersectoral activities to improve the income of the population in order to control modifiable risk factors.