Mp34-07 Associations Between Unmet Social Needs in Women With Urinary Incontinence in Rural and Non-Rural Areas

You have accessJournal of UrologyDiversity, Equity & Inclusion: Health Equity & Outcomes II (MP34)1 May 2024MP34-07 ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN UNMET SOCIAL NEEDS IN WOMEN WITH URINARY INCONTINENCE IN RURAL AND NON-RURAL AREAS Lan Anh S. Galloway, Rosa Park, Karla Rebullar, Melissa R. Kaufman, Roger Dmochowski, W. Stuart Reynolds, and Elisabeth Sebesta Lan Anh S. GallowayLan Anh S. Galloway , Rosa ParkRosa Park , Karla RebullarKarla Rebullar , Melissa R. KaufmanMelissa R. Kaufman , Roger DmochowskiRoger Dmochowski , W. Stuart ReynoldsW. Stuart Reynolds , and Elisabeth SebestaElisabeth Sebesta View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/01.JU.0001008876.78012.90.07AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Urinary incontinence (UI) represents a large public health burden in the United States. Unmet social needs may negatively impact health outcomes and chronic illnesses such as overactive bladder. Patients from rural areas where there is a higher burden of chronic medical conditions may be differently affected by unmet social needs than those in non-rural regions. There is little known about how rurality and unmet social needs relate to urologic conditions such as UI. This study evaluates associations between rurality and unmet social needs in women with UI and which unmet needs disproportionately affect rural women. METHODS: Women recruited from our urology clinic and the surrounding regions via ResearchMatch completed questionnaires on clinical and demographic information, urinary symptoms, and unmet social needs. Exclusion criteria included pregnancy, catheter use, history of cystectomy, known neurologic disorder, and non-ambulatory status. Rurality was defined by zip code according to the Health Resources and Services Administration definition. The association between unmet social needs and women living in rural vs. non-rural communities was evaluated with multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: 1096 women with UI completed the study. Mean age was 49 years. 68% of women identified as white, non-Hispanic, and 16% of women lived in rural zip codes. UI severity was evaluated via ICIQ UI SF and total score was not different between rural and non-rural women. Rural women were found to have more unmet social needs. Individual needs associated with rurality included housing insecurity/quality, food insecurity, lack of transportation, worry about utilities, and home plumbing/toilet/sewage insecurity. In a multivariate analysis adjusting for multiple factors including age, BMI, race/ethnicity, poverty, pelvic surgery history, parity, and incontinence severity, associations between rurality and unmet social needs remained significant (Table 1). CONCLUSIONS: Living in a rural community was associated with several domains of unmet social needs. Though severity of UI was not different, unmet needs of women in rural communities may impact the effect of burdens of UI experienced, barriers to care, and long-term outcomes of UI. Source of Funding: Health Equity research grant from Vanderbilt Center for Health Service Research © 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 211Issue 5SMay 2024Page: e573 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.Metrics Author Information Lan Anh S. Galloway More articles by this author Rosa Park More articles by this author Karla Rebullar More articles by this author Melissa R. Kaufman More articles by this author Roger Dmochowski More articles by this author W. Stuart Reynolds More articles by this author Elisabeth Sebesta More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...