SHORT-TERM VARIABILITY OF SELF-REPORT OF INCONTINENCE IN OLDER PERSONS

Objective: Virtually all estimates of the prevalence and incidence of incontinence in the community rely on self-reported continence status. The goal of this study was to assess the reliability of this measure in older adults. Design: Telephone interviews administered approximate ly 2 weeks apart. Setting: Community-based congregate living facility. Participants: A convenience sample of approximately 100 residents was contacted by letter; 48 of 51 (94%) who indicated their willingness t o participate were interviewed. They included eight men and 40 women > 70 years old (79% >80 years old), virtually all of whom were independe nt in basic ADLs and 83% of whom reported their health as good or exce llent. Measurement: Responses to a structured questionnaire. Main Resu lts: The prevalence of urinary incontinence was 40% at baseline and 44 % on re-interview; the prevalence of fecal incontinence was 17% on bot h occasions. All Spearman correlations for items related to urinary in continence characteristics were between .80 and .86, except for a ques tion related to stress incontinence (r = .62); correlations for fecal incontinence were .67-.69. Conclusion: Prevalence estimates of inconti nence are stable over a 2-week period. However, the variability of ind ividual responses, while relatively low, was within the range previous ly reported for estimates of incidence and remission rates of incontin ence in community-dwelling elderly. This, variability should be taken into consideration when interpreting previous studies and designing fu ture ones.