Abstract
Objective: This preliminary study describes balance performance, history of falls, and fall risk status in older women with and without self-reported urinary incontinence (UI).
Study Design: Cross-sectional study of community-dwelling older women.
Background: Urinary incontinence is often cited as a fall risk factor; however, limited evidence exists regarding typical fall assessment tools and their relationship to undifferentiated UI. Further research describing this relationship would benefit older women with both UI and balance deficits.
Methods and Measures: Thirty women 65 years and older participated. Participants completed standardized balance assessments and questionnaires to obtain information regarding UI and fall history. Participants who reported UI completed the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire and the Urogenital Distress Inventory to obtain detailed UI information. Fall history and balance performance were analyzed with descriptive methods and the Fisher exact test. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to detect difference between participants with and without UI, as well as to compare type and severity of UI in participants with and without a positive fall history.
Results: Participants with UI scored significantly worse on the Berg Balance Scale, Tinetti Gait and Balance, and Four Square Step Test (P < .05) assessments and reported a significantly higher number of falls than participants without UI (P = .026). Both those with a fall and those without a fall with UI reported similar impact and distress from this condition.
Conclusion: Worse balance performance and UI presence appear to be linked in this sample of women. The results of this pilot study emphasize the need to screen for UI and fall risk in older women with either condition.