Incontinence
Introduction
Urinary incontinence imposes a considerable social, emotional, psychological, and financial burden on affected individuals, carers and health services. The condition is not normal and is always a symptom of an underlying problem that can usually be cured or significantly improved if treated. Nearly one in 10 people in Australia is affected by urinary incontinence. It has no boundary of ethnicity, sex, age or social class. In older age groups, incontinence tends to be both more common and more severe, occurring in up to 40 per cent of people over 75 years of age. Women are more at risk of incontinence than men.[1]
In 2006, the New South Wales Population Health Survey asked respondents: In the last 4 weeks, how often have you had a urine leak when you were physically active, exerted yourself, or coughed or sneezed during the day or night: Most of the time, Some of the time, None of the time?
Results
Overall, in 2006, 20.7 per cent of people in NSW aged 40 years and over experienced urinary incontinence some or most of the time during the last 4 weeks. A significantly higher proportion of females (29.2 per cent) than males (11.9 per cent) experienced incontinence in the last 4 weeks. Among males, a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 40-44 years (7.5 per cent) and 45-49 years (5.8 per cent) and 50-54 years (7.3 per cent), and a significantly higher proportion of adults aged 70-74 years (20.3 per cent) and 75-79 years (24.8 per cent) and 80 years and over (24.7 per cent), experienced urinary incontinence some or most of the time during the last 4 weeks, compared with the overall adult male population aged 40 years and over. Among females, a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 40-44 years (20.6 per cent), and a significantly higher proportion of adults aged 70-74 years (37.7 per cent) and 80 years and over (35.9 per cent), experienced urinary incontinence some or most of the time during the last 4 weeks, compared with the overall adult female population aged 40 years and over.
There was no significant variation between urban areas and rural areas, or among health areas. Urinary incontinence increased with socioeconomic disadvantage. A higher proportion of adults 40 years and over in the most disadvantaged quintile (25.2 per cent) experienced urinary incontinence in the last 4 weeks, compared with the overall adult population aged 40 years and over. There are has been no significant variation in the proportion of adults aged 40 years and over suffering urinary incontinence between 2003 and 2006.
References
- Department of Health and Ageing. Continence. Available online at www.continence.health.gov.au (accessed 8 June 2007).
Graphs
- Incontinence status in the last 4 weeks, persons aged 40 years and over
- Incontinence in the last 4 weeks by age, persons aged 40 years and over
- Incontinence in the last 4 weeks by socioeconomic disadvantage, persons aged 40 years and over
- Incontinence in the last 4 weeks by health area, persons aged 40 years and over
- Incontinence in the last 4 weeks by year, persons aged 40 years and over
| Source: | New South Wales Population Health Survey 2006 (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health. |
| Print version: | Although this page can be printed directly from your web browser, a higher quality version is available as a PDF file that can be printed or viewed on screen. |
| Produced by: | Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health. |
| Last updated on: | 1 July 2007 |