Does Urinary Incontinence Affect Middle-Aged and Older Womenʼs Time Use and Activity Patterns?
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between urinary incontinence and women's levels and hours of participation in 31 activities. METHODS: A subset of panel members from the Health and Retirement Study completed the self-administered Consumption and Activities Mail Survey questionnaire in 2001. These data were linked with Health and Retirement Study 2000 data. Analyses were limited to 2,190 female Consumption and Activities Mail Survey self-respondents born in 1947 or earlier. Logistic regression was used to predict activity participation. Linear regression was used to predict the number of hours of participation. RESULTS: The hypothesis that urinary incontinence affects women's time use and activity patterns was supported. Compared with the continent women, the incontinent women were less likely to have house cleaned, shopped, physically shown affection, or attended religious services in the recent past; and were more likely to have watched television or made music by singing or playing an instrument. Compared with continent activity participants, incontinent participants reported significantly fewer hours spent walking, communicating with friends and family by telephone or e-mail, working for pay, using a computer, and engaging in personal grooming and hygiene. CONCLUSION: These findings substantiate prior work on the relationship between urinary incontinence and quality of life, and suggest a useful route for educating patients about the impact of urinary incontinence. Clinicians must be alert to opportunities for encouraging incontinent women to be active. It is also important to consider the implications for time use and activity patterns when advising patients about treatment and management options. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-2.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Younger community-dwelling women with stress or urge UI are less physically active than continent controls.
“Younger community-dwelling women with urinary incontinence (both stress and urge) are less likely to be physically active than continent controls.(5, 6)”
From Urinary incontinence and disability in community-dwelling women: A cross-sectional study: Urinary Incontinence and Disability in Ambulatory Women (2015) · cites this paper as [6]
Prior studies suggest women with stress or urge incontinence are less likely than continent women to engage in recreational exercise and everyday activities such as walking, shopping, and house-cleaning.
“Prior studies suggest that women with stress and urge incontinence are less likely to participate in recreational exercise (5) and everyday physical activities such as walking, shopping, and house-cleaning than continent women.(6)”
From Urinary incontinence and disability in community-dwelling women: A cross-sectional study: Urinary Incontinence and Disability in Ambulatory Women (2015) · cites this paper as [6]
Cites
Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly
Verghese, J., Lipton, R. B., Katz, M. J., Hall, C. B., Derby, C. A., Kuslansky, G., Ambrose, A. F., Sliwinski, M., & Buschke, H. (2003) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmoa022252 · Cited by 1,961 · see citing works
Hu, F. B., Li, T. Y., Colditz, G. A., Willett, W. C., & Manson, J. E. (2003) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.289.14.1785 · Cited by 1,892 · see citing works
Shumaker, S. A., Wyman, J. F., Uebersax, J. S., McClish, D. K., & Fantl, J. A. (1994) · Quality of Life Research · doi:10.1007/bf00451721 · Cited by 1,098 · see citing works
Urinary Incontinence: Does it Increase Risk for Falls and Fractures?
Brown, J. S., Vittinghoff, E., Wyman, J. F., Stone, K. L., Nevitt, M. C., Ensrud, K. E., & Grady, D. (2000) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2000.tb04744.x · Cited by 557 · see citing works
Quality of life of persons with urinary incontinence: Development of a new measure
Wagner, T. H., Patrick, D. L., Bavendam, T. G., Martin, M. L., & Buesching, D. E. (1996) · Urology · doi:10.1016/s0090-4295(99)80384-7 · Cited by 508 · see citing works
Annual Direct Cost of Urinary Incontinence
Wilson, L., Brown, J. S., Shin, G. P., et al. (2001) · Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1097/00006250-200109000-00007 · Cited by 422 · see citing works
The Influence of Urinary Incontinence on the Quality of Life of Elderly Women
Grimby, A., Milsom, I., Molander, U., Wiklund, I. E., & Ekelund, P. (1993) · Age and Ageing · doi:10.1093/ageing/22.2.82 · Cited by 396 · see citing works
Thom, D. H., Haan, M. N., & Eeden, S. K. V. D. (1997) · Age and Ageing · doi:10.1093/ageing/26.5.367 · Cited by 367 · see citing works
Economic costs of urinary incontinence in 1995
Wagner, T. H., & Hu, T.-W. (1998) · Urology · doi:10.1016/s0090-4295(97)00623-7 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Individual Consequences of Volunteer and Paid Work in Old Age: Health and Mortality
Luoh, M., & Herzog, A. R. (2002) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/3090239 · Cited by 315 · see citing works
Annual direct cost of urinary incontinence
Wilson, L. (2001) · Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/s0029-7844(01)01464-8 · Cited by 272 · see citing works
Burden of stress urinary incontinence for community-dwelling women
Fultz, N. H., Burgio, K. L., Diokno, A. C., Kinchen, K., Obenchain, R. L., & Bump, R. C. (2003) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1067/s0002-9378(03)00598-2 · Cited by 213 · see citing works
Self-citationSelf‐Reported Social and Emotional Impact of Urinary Incontinence
Fultz, N. H., & Herzog, A. R. (2001) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1046/j.1532-5415.2001.49179.x · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Self-citationUnger, J. B., Johnson, C. A., & Marks, G. N. (1997) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/bf02883332 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Urinary incontinence and depression in middle-aged United States women
Nygaard, I. (2003) · Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/s0029-7844(02)02519-x · Cited by 203 · see citing works
Urinary Incontinence in Women and the Effects on their Lives
Lagro‐Janssen, T., Smits, A. J. A., & van Weel, C. (1992) · Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care · doi:10.3109/02813439209014063 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Too wet to exercise? Leaking urine as a barrier to physical activity in women
Brown, W. J., & Miller, Y. D. (2001) · Journal of science and medicine in sport · doi:10.1016/s1440-2440(01)80046-3 · Cited by 139 · see citing works
The effects of urinary incontinence in women
Norton, C. (1982) · International Rehabilitation Medicine · doi:10.3109/03790798209166812 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Langa, K. M., Fultz, N. H., Saint, S. K., et al. (2002) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1046/j.1532-5415.2002.50170.x · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Self-citationLam, G. W., Foldspang, A., Elving, L. B., et al. (1992) · PubMed · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Activity and Health-Related Quality of Life in Continuing Care Retirement Communities
Jenkins, K. R., Pienta, A., & Horgas, A. L. (2002) · Research on Aging · doi:10.1177/0164027503024001008 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Self-citationDisability in Older Adults 2: Physical Activity as Prevention
Carlson, J. E., Ostir, G. V., Black, S. A., Markides, K. S., Rudkin, L., & Goodwin, J. S. (1999) · Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1080/08964289.1999.11879272 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Nuotio, M. S., Tammela, T. L. J., Luukkaala, T. H., et al. (2003) · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · doi:10.1093/gerona/58.8.m756 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Urge Incontinence: The Patient's Perspective
Brown, J. S., Subak, L. L., GRAS, J., et al. (1998) · Journal of Women s Health · doi:10.1089/jwh.1998.7.1263 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Self-Care Behaviors of Older Women with URINARY INCONTINENCE
Engberg, S. J., McDowell, B. J., Burgio, K. L., Watson, J. E., & Belle, S. (1995) · Journal of Gerontological Nursing · doi:10.3928/0098-9134-19950801-06 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Greer, J. A., Xu, R., Propert, K. J., & Arya, L. A. (2015) · Neurourology and Urodynamics · doi:10.1002/nau.22615 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
- Authors
- Fultz, N. H., Fisher, G. G., & Jenkins, K. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- Venue
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Published
- 2004-12
- Volume
- 104
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1327-1334
- ISSN
- 0029-7844 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2079794617
- Cited by
- 65
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 2.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Obstetrics and Gynecology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (U01 AG 09740, U01AG009740)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (K12HD001438, K12 HD01438)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Pelvic floor disorders treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Urology › Urinary Bladder and Prostate Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
- Keywords
- urinary incontinence, time use, activities and participation, middle-aged and older women, quality of life, physical activity, housework, leisure, Health and Retirement Study
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Leisure Activities, Middle Aged, Quality of Life, Urinary Incontinence, Logistic Models
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
