Urinary Incontinence Among Community-Dwelling Older Women: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Characterization of Clinical Features, Urinary Habits, and Perceptions

Background/Objective: Urinary incontinence (UI) negatively affects wellbeing. As it is often seen as a normal part of aging, management is frequently delayed or ignored, challenging healthy aging. This study aimed to characterize UI in community-dwelling older women by assessing sociodemographic aspects, symptoms, pelvic floor muscle strength, urinary habits, and perceptions regarding UI. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in older women from four communities in Chile. After educational sessions on UI, women voluntarily enrolled. We applied the ICIQ-SF, and pelvic floor muscle strength was evaluated using the Modified Oxford Scale. We also collected information on UI-related topics. Results: Among 32 older women assessed, 40.6% had stress UI, 3.1% had urgency UI, and 56.3% exhibited mixed UI. The mean ICIQ-SF score was 13.75 ± 3.5, corresponding to severe UI, with a mean score of interference on daily life of 6.75 ± 1.92. Older women exhibited low pelvic floor muscle strength (Oxford: 1.97 ± 1.03), a high prevalence of cystocele (84.4%; n = 27), and coexisting fecal incontinence (40.6%; n = 13). An association between UI severity and pelvic floor muscle strength was evaluated (Spearman’s ρ = −0.242, n = 32), but the weak inverse correlation was not statistically significant (p = 0.180). Conclusions: Community-dwelling older women with UI exhibited substantial symptom severity accompanied by low pelvic floor muscle strength, pelvic organ prolapse, coexisting fecal incontinence, and potentially modifiable UI-related habits and perceptions. Although these findings derive from an exploratory sample, they highlight opportunities for community-based education, early detection, and pelvic floor health interventions to support healthy aging.