Outcomes of a small group educational intervention for urinary incontinence: Health-related quality of life

Objectives: This article examines change in general and condition-specific measures of health-related qualify of life (HRQL) among participants in a r andomized trial of a community-based intervention for urinary incontinence (UI). Methods: Participants were randomized into intervention or wait contr ol conditions. Participants were women aged 65 or older with urinary incont inence residing in Oklahoma. General HRQL measures included the Physical Fu nction, Mental Health, Vitality, and Health Perceptions subscales of the Me dical Outcomes Study Short Form-36. Condition-specific measures included th e Impact of UI and self-management strategies. Results: There were no signi ficant group effects for the general HRQL measures. Intervention participan ts reported decreased Impact of UI and greater change in self-management st rategies than control participants. Discussion: The intervention affected c ondition-specific quality of life and self-management but not general HRQL. The intervention's impact on quality of life involves change in how the co ndition is seen as impacting on life and on selection of self-management be haviors.