Urinary incontinence among female health workers in a tertiary health facility in Enugu, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Female urinary incontinence (UI) impacts female workers’ quality of life and working life. Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence of UI among female health workers in Enugu, Nigeria, and its impact on their quality of life. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of female health workers at the University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The first section contained socio-demographic information, whereas the second section consisted of items derived from the UK English Version of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire on Urinary Incontinence (ICIQ-UI Short Form). Results: Two hundred and fifty-six (256) women filled out the questionnaires. The mean age of the respondents was 36.6 ± 3.2 years (ranging from 19 to 56 years). Of the 256 respondents, 115 women had UI giving a prevalence of 44.9%. Older female health workers (>39 years old) compared to younger female health workers were significantly more likely to have UI (odd ratio 6.387, 95% confidence intervals 3.684–11.045, P < 0.001). Types of female UI seen were urge UI (39.1%), stress UI (29.6%), and mixed UI (31.3%). Most women (50.4%) leaked about once a week and had small amounts of leakages (62.8%). The impact on quality of life was mild (39.0%) and moderate (32.2%) for most of the female health workers, with 19% reporting severe impact. Conclusion: The prevalence of female UI is high among female health workers in Enugu, Nigeria and it impacts greatly on their quality of life.