Urinary incontinence and quality of life in women with severe obesity: an observational study

ABSTRACT The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in women with severe obesity. Other objectives included assessing the quality of life among women with obesity with UI and comparing levels of pelvic floor muscle strength and lumbar disability between women with and without UI. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted involving 56 women with class III obesity. The International Consultation of Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form was used to detect the presence of UI, and the King’s Health Questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life of those considered incontinent. Pelvic floor muscle strength was evaluated using the PERFECT scale, while lumbar disability was verified using the Oswestry Disability Index. The results indicated that UI was prevalent in the studied population, with a rate of 57.1% (n=32). The sample showed low quality of life scores in the domains of “General Health Perception” (51.5 ± 22.8) and “Impact of Incontinence” (51.0 ± 36.8). There were no statistically significant differences in pelvic floor muscle strength levels and lumbar disability between the groups with or without UI. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of vaginal childbirth in the subgroup with UI (62.5%) compared to the subgroup without UI (25%) (p=0.005). Overall, UI was prevalent in most of the studied population, and the sample showed poor quality of life. Furthermore, vaginal childbirth was found to influence the occurrence of UI.