High prevalence of urinary incontinence and poor knowledge of pelvic floor exercises among women in a health district in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

J.P. Madombwe, S.E. Knight
2008 South African Journal of Physiotherapy  
The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and health seeking behaviour of women with urinary incontinence andtheir knowledge of pelvic floor exercises, in a health district in KwaZulu-Natal.Methods: An observational cross-sectional study design was used. BetweenSeptember 2005 and November 2005, a questionnaire was administered to 99 womenaged 21 – 76 years at randomly selected from. Results: The study found that the prevalence of the urinary incontinence was 35% (95% Confidence
more » ... terval, 26 to 45). The most common type of incontinencewas stress urinary incontinence, 63% (95% CI, 46 to 79). Of the 99 women, 32%(95% CI, 23 to 42) had heard of pelvic floor muscle exercises, while only 18% (95%CI, 11 – 26) had actually carried out the intervention. Of the 35 women with urinary incontinence, 26% had soughtprofessional help, the most common reason for seeking help being a worsening in condition.Conclusion: The prevalence of urinary incontinence in KwaZulu-Natal is high, knowledge of urinary incontinenceas a disease and its management, among both women and health service providers is poor.
doi:10.4102/sajp.v64i1.95 fatcat:sqhjjj7iebhwvlayccqtq3alui