Treatment Seeking Behavior in Women with Urinary Incontinence, Our Experience in Rural Gujarat, India

Abstract

Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as the complaint of any involuntary leakage of urine. It is a significant health problem with serious physical, psychological, and social consequences affecting women in all age groups. Though the prevalence is increasing all over the world, it is seen that fewer than half of women with UI seek care for their condition. We aimed to find the treatment-seeking behaviour of women suffering from UI residing in the Charutar region of Gujarat, India. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the four randomly selected villages of Charutar region. Women in the age group of 20–70 years were screened. Demographic details and treatment seeking behaviour of screened positive women were captured through a pre-tested questionnaire. Results: Out of 883 women screened, 49 women were screened positive for urinary incontinence. Majority of them considered it as natural (25(51%)), had not sought any treatment (42(85.7%)) and had no idea about treatment options (39(79.6%)). Most of them preferred to discuss their problems with the village health worker or with the local doctor or female gynaecologist. Major reasons for not seeking treatment included ignorance (65%), shyness (16%), dependence (4%) and fear of hospitalization (2%). None of them had ever heard about pelvic floor muscle exercise and its role as a treatment option in urinary incontinence. Conclusion: It appears that women do not consider UI as a problem. Their treatment seeking is marred by socio-cultural milieu. Innovative approaches like ‘Women’s Health Clinics’ may be tested.

Keywords: Treatment seeking behaviour, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor muscle exercise

Cite this Article

Daxa Mishra, Shyamsundar Raithaththa, Ajay Pathak, et al. Treatment Seeking Behavior in Women with Urinary Incontinence, Our Experience in Rural Gujarat, India. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Health Professions. 2018; 8(Issue 3 Special): 1s-5s.