Urinary Incontinence, Obesity, Quality of Life, and Loneliness in Older Adults

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in older adults; the association between UI and obesity; and, among participants with UI, the associations between obesity and UI-related quality of life and loneliness. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational observational study. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: This study was conducted with 301 older adults living in a province in the Northern Black Sea. METHODS: Self-reported UI was measured by an investigator-developed questionnaire. Urinary incontinence-specific quality of life was measured using the Incontinence Quality of Life Scale, and loneliness was measured using the Loneliness in the Elderly Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, simple logistic regression, and independent samples t-tests. RESULTS: The prevalence of UI was 47.20% (n = 142), and 34.60% (n = 104) of participants were obese. Participants who were obese had significantly greater odds of having UI than those who were not obese (OR = 2.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.33-3.50, P = .002). Among participants with UI, obesity status was not significantly associated with Incontinence Quality of Life Scale or Loneliness in the Elderly Scale scores. CONCLUSION: Approximately half of the older adults in this study experienced UI. Obesity increased the likelihood of reporting UI. Among those with UI, there were no significant associations between obesity and UI-related quality of life or loneliness.