The Knowledge, Awareness and Primary Care Applications of Women about Urinary Incontinence: A Survey in Primary Care

INTRODUCTION: The aim of study was to evaluate the prevalence, knowledge, and awareness of urinary incontinence (UI) in women, to examine women’s primary care applications for UI, and their reasons for not applying even if they had complaints.
METHODS: This observational study was conducted in two different family health centers in Turkey. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of two parts prepared by the investigators. For illiterate participants, the questionnaire was completed by the investigators through a face-to-face interview.
RESULTS: Three hundred eighty women participated in this study. Of the participants, 75 (19.7%) had UI problems in the past and163 (42.8%) were found to have UI, of whom 69 (42.3%) described the condition as a “UI/ health problem”. Thirteen (28.3%) of the participants who not applying to health center for UI complaints were thinking that “UI is normal with advancing age.”
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Despite the high prevalence of UI, this study suggests that women’s awareness about UI was low. Although the study was conducted with patients who applied to the family health centers, the low awareness of the patients about the disease and the low rates of admissions to family physicians indicate that awareness-raising studies should be started as primary care.