INFLUENCE OF FUNCTIONAL, UROLOGICAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS ON URINARY-INCONTINENCE IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER WOMEN

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships of function al, urological, and environmental characteristics to the frequency of urinary incontinence in 131 community-dwelling older women. Subjects w ith detrusor instability with or without concomitant genuine stress in continence had significantly more impaired physical functioning, slowe r gait speeds, smaller bladder capacities, and less ability to delay v oiding than subjects with genuine stress incontinence alone. Age, dist ance to toilet used most, and toilet-gait speed explained 17% of the v ariance in incontinence alone. Younger age, slower mobility, and a sho rter distance to reach the toilet were associated with a higher freque ncy of incontinence. Physical functional status and urological charact eristics, including urodynamic diagnosis, did not predict incontinence severity. These findings confirm, in part, the commonly held assumpti on that mobility and the environment influence urinary incontinence.