Association between physical activity and urinary incontinence in a community-based elderly population aged 70 years and over.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between physical activity (PA) levels and urinary incontinence (UI) in a community-based elderly population aged > or =70 yr.

METHODS

This population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2003 using an extensive health interview for each participant. A self-reported single-item questionnaire was used to estimate different levels of PA in each subject. The prevalence of UI was estimated by the self-administered International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire. The study population included 676 Japanese men and women.

RESULTS

The prevalence of UI was 25% (34% in women and 16% in men). After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of UI compared with the lowest PA group was 0.71 (0.47-1.09) and 0.58 (0.35-0.96) in subjects exhibiting middle and high levels of PA, respectively (p for trend = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

High PA level was independently related to a lower self-reported prevalence of UI in a community-dwelling elderly population aged > or =70 yr. Although this cross-sectional study cannot demonstrate a temporal relationship between PA and the onset of UI, the findings suggest that PA may have a potentially beneficial effect on the prevention of UI. A prospective study or randomized trials are required to clarify the causality.