Prevalence of urinary incontinence and its association with quality of life among elderly women attending government health clinics in Kuala Kuantan 1

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a prevalent condition among elderly women, impacting various aspects of their quality of life. This cross-sectional study from January 2022 to December 2023 aims to establish the prevalence of urinary incontinence, its associated factors, and its impact on the quality of life (QOL) for elderly women attending government health clinics in Kuala Kuantan 1, Kuantan, Pahang. Materials and method: The participants included elderly women aged 60 and above from two selected government health clinics in Kuala Kuantan-1. Data was collected for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities. Urinary incontinence and quality of life assessment data were collected using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF) and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Quality of Life (ICIQ LUTSqol) questionnaire respectively. Results: Among 250 respondents, 36% (90) suffered from urinary incontinence (stress incontinence, 36.7%; urge incontinence, 27.8%; and mixed, 25.6%). Among 90 respondents with UI, 62.2%, 30%, and 7.8% reported mild, moderate, and severe UI, respectively. The risk of incontinence is higher among Malay ethnicity (OR 2.578, 95% C.I 1.446-4.598, p=0.001) compared to Chinese. 2-way ANOVA analysis demonstrated a statistically significant association between the severity of UI (p-value < 0.001) with QOL, in which the more severe the UI, the poorer QOL. Those respondents with mixed urinary incontinence have the poorest quality of life score compared to urge and stress types, regardless of the UI severity (p=0.011). Conclusion: Around one-third of elderly women attending health clinics suffer from mild-to-severe urinary incontinence. Ethnicity has been identified as a risk factor for UI. This study has shown that mixed-type incontinence substantially impacts the quality of life. Therefore, screening for UI is crucial as early detection of UI enables appropriate treatment options such as lifestyle modifications, pelvic floor muscle exercise, behavioural therapies, medications, or surgery