[Risk factors associated with onset of urinary incontinence in a community-dwelling elderly population: a 4-year follow-up study].
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the risk factors associated with onset of urinary incontinence in a rural community-dwelling elderly population.


METHODS
The study area, village N in Akita Prefecture, is a rural community in which a baseline survey of TMIG-LISA (Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Longitudinal and Interdisciplinary Study on Aging) was undertaken in 1996. Among the baseline subjects, 760 (314 males and 446 females) community-dwelling elderly people aged over 65, who did not suffer from urinary incontinence at entry of the survey were selected. This cohort has been followed for four years by multi-dimensional medical examination including interviews and physical performance tests, conducted on a yearly basis using similar methods to these for the baseline survey.


RESULTS
After the 4-year follow-up, the incidence of urinary incontinence was 7.0% (22/314) in men and 12.3% (55/446) in women. The urinary incontinence group (UIG) had a significantly higher age and lower level of functional fitness at baseline for both sexes. In the UIG, the men but not the women had significantly lower serum levels of albumin and total cholesterol. By the logistic model, age (per 1-year increase: OR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.11-1.38), and serum albumin (per 0.1 g/dl increase: OR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.54-0.88) in men; and grip strength (per 1-kg increase: OR = 0.92, 95%CI: 0.86-0.98), social role (per 1-point decrease: OR = 1.81, 95%CI: 1.19-2.73), BMI (per 1-kg/m2 increase: OR = 1.10, 95%CI: 1.01-1.20) and smoking status (never smoker = 1.00, 3 = current smoker: OR = 7.53, 95%CI: 1.36-41.63) in women were independent variables significantly associated with onset of urinary incontinence.


CONCLUSIONS
Lifestyle and functional fitness are significantly associated with onset of urinary incontinence in this population. Our findings suggest that intervention programs are needed to improve pelvic floor muscle and to provide social support for the elderly.
Epidemiology and Health Promotion Research Group, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology.
Hunkyung
H
Kim
Hideyo
H
Yoshida
XiuYing
X
Hu
Harumi
H
Yukawa
Shoji
S
Shinkai
Shu
S
Kumagai
Yoshinori
Y
Fujiwara
Yuko
Y
Yoshida
Taketo
T
Furuna
Miho
M
Sugiura
Tatsuro
T
Ishizaki
Takao
T
Suzuki
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000209:etiology*