The effect of demographic characteristics of patients applying to the urology outpatient clinic on urinary incontinence awareness and attitudes

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the effect of demographic characteristics of patients applying to the urology outpatient clinic on urinary incontinence awareness and attitudes. Materials and methods: The data of this descriptive and cross-sectional study were collected between 07/09/2023-08/10/2023 with Personal Information Form, Urinary Incontinence Awareness Attitude Scale data collection tools from 180 people who applied to urology outpatient clinic by face-to-face interview method. Data were analyzed with the SPSS 25.0 package program. In all analyses, p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In the factors that prevent the scale from being accepted as a health problem sub-dimension, educational status increases the scores; Educational status and frequency of caffeine&tea consumption had a decreasing effect on scores in the health motivation sub-dimension; In the coping with incontinence subdimension, being male lowers the scores, while education level, presence of a chronic disease and having undergone surgery increase the scores; In the restriction sub-dimension, it was found that age, marital status, place of residence, presence of chronic disease and frequency of changing underwear had a decreasing effect on scores. In the sub-dimension of fear of urinary incontinence, it was found that gender, marital status, and frequency of changing underwear had a decreasing effect. Conclusion: Male are more likely to accept urinary incontinence as a health problem. The factors that prevent adults from accepting it as a health problem and the sub-dimensions of coping with urinary incontinence are good. It was determined that the health motivation sub-dimension and the fear of urination sub-dimension of the patients who applied to the urology outpatient clinic were at a weak level, and the restriction sub-dimension was at a medium level.