This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0898264308315853v1 20/4/405    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Chang, C.-H. Articles by Sier, H. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chang, C.-H. Articles by Sier, H. C. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Urinary Incontinence Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Urinary Incontinence and Self-Reported Health Among the U.S. Medicare Managed Care Beneficiaries

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, chchang{at}northwestern.edu

Chris M. Gonzalez, MD, MBA

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago

Denys T. Lau, PhD

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago

Herbert C. Sier, MD

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago

Objectives: To examine the prevalence and management of urinary incontinence (UI) and their impact on self-reported health in the U.S. Medicare managed care beneficiaries. Methods: Data were from the 2003 Medicare Health Outcomes Survey Cohort VI Baseline. Only beneficiaries aged 65 years or older and who self-completed the telephone interview were included. Results: About 37% of the study sample (N = 82,196) reported having accidental urine leakage (the UI group). A total of 75% of the UI group indicated UI's being a problem and 41% of them had spoken with a doctor about it. Of these, 50% had received treatment. The findings indicate the UI group generally had significantly worse SF-36 Survey Scale scores than the non-UI group with and without adjusting other covariates. Discussion: UI is prevalent but undertreated as it adversely affects many health domains in this population. This study highlights the need for early detection, proper education, and access to effective treatment options for UI in the elderly.

Key Words: urinary incontinence • health • Medicare • SF-36

This version was published on June 1, 2008

Journal of Aging and Health, Vol. 20, No. 4, 405-419 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0898264308315853


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?