# Women’s knowledge and practices regarding urinary incontinence

## TL;DR

This study finds that many women in Egypt lack knowledge and have poor practices regarding urinary incontinence, highlighting the need for better education.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the knowledge and practices of women in Egypt regarding urinary incontinence and pelvic floor exercises.

## Key findings

- Most women had poor understanding of urinary incontinence and pelvic floor exercises.
- A large proportion reported unsatisfactory practices related to urinary incontinence.
- There is a significant relationship between knowledge levels and self-reported practices.

## Abstract

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a widespread condition affecting a large population globally. Women are disproportionately affected by UI, with the condition becoming more common with advancing age. UI is characterized as involuntary loss of urine during the bladder storage phase, which can significantly diminish a woman’s quality of life and impose substantial societal costs. Enhancing women’s knowledge is a key factor in reducing the incidence of UI.

To assess the knowledge and practices of women concerning urinary incontinence.

This descriptive analytical study was conducted at the urinary incontinence outpatient clinic at El-Demerdash Hospital in Cairo Governorate, Egypt. A purposive sample of 123 women was recruited for the study. Data were gathered using a structured interview questionnaire consisting of three parts: Part I, which focused on sociodemographic characteristics; Part II, which assessed women’s knowledge of urinary incontinence and pelvic floor muscle exercises; and Part III, which evaluated women’s self-reported practices regarding UI. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (Version 22.0). Descriptive statistics, including numbers, percentages, mean scores, and standard deviations, were used to present the data. The chi-square test was employed to examine the relationships between variables. At p < 0.01 there is a highly statistically significant difference between the variables.

The findings indicated that a majority of the women studied had a poor understanding of urinary incontinence (63.4%) and pelvic floor exercises (61.5%). Furthermore, a large proportion (71.5%) reported unsatisfactory practices related to urinary incontinence.

The study established a highly significant relationship between women’s self-reported practices and their knowledge levels concerning urinary incontinence and pelvic floor muscle exercises. The study recommended implementing educational initiatives to increase women’s awareness of the importance of pelvic health and urinary incontinence.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-25067-z.