Knowledge and attitudes toward urinary incontinence among healthcare students in palestine: a cross-sectional study

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common condition that significantly affects quality of life, however is often underreported due to stigma and misconceptions about aging and childbirth. Effective management depends on well-prepared healthcare professionals, yet continence education is frequently limited in undergraduate curricula, leading to knowledge and readiness gaps among students. In Palestine, where UI is prevalent and help-seeking is low, there is limited evidence on healthcare students’ preparedness. Assessing their knowledge and attitudes is therefore important to identify educational gaps and improve future continence care training. A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2025 and April 2026 among 386 healthcare students from five Palestinian universities. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Urinary Incontinence Knowledge Scale (UIKS), and the Urinary Incontinence Attitude Scale (UIAS). Non-parametric tests (Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis H, and Spearman’s rank-order correlation) were used for bivariate analyses, while multivariable linear regression was conducted using the General Linear Model framework. The mean age of participants was 21.48 ± 1.81 years, and 73.3% were female. The mean knowledge score was 19.22 ± 5.51 (out of 30), indicating an overall moderate level of knowledge, while the mean attitude score was 43.01 ± 4.52 (out of 60), reflecting generally positive attitudes toward UI. Higher knowledge scores were observed among students who had attended UI-related lectures ( p < 0.001), expressed interest in learning about UI ( p = 0.022), had a family history of UI ( p = 0.007), were in senior academic years ( p < 0.001), and were male ( p = 0.041). Female students demonstrated significantly more positive attitudes than males ( p = 0.002). Knowledge was positively correlated with attitudes (Spearman’s r = 0.210, p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that lack of interest, absence of prior UI education, no family history of UI, and earlier academic year independently predicted lower knowledge scores. Less favorable attitudes were independently associated with male gender and lack of interest in the topic. Healthcare students in Palestine demonstrate moderate knowledge and generally positive attitudes toward urinary incontinence, but important educational gaps persist. Curriculum reform integrating structured continence education is needed to improve competency and clinical preparedness.