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Urinary Control: Issues and Impact on Working Women
Mary H. Palmer, R.N., Ph.D.
School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Purpose: Urinary incontinence (UI) is prevalent in women. However, its effects on non- professional working women is not known. The primary aims of this study are to determine:
- the prevalence of urinary incontinence in a convenience sample of non-professional working women;
- the strategies women use to manage UI while at work;
- the effects of UI on work activities;
- the correlates of UI; and
- help-seeking behaviors which UI women have used.
Research Design: Survey
Subjects: Women aged 18 years and older who are employed full-time.
Setting: Manufacturing and distribution centers of a large company that produces kitchenware and crockery.
Procedure: The questionnaires will be distributed to all female employees on all three shifts. A cover letter will describe the study and its voluntary nature. Women will be instructed when they are finished with the questionnaire to place it in the accompanying manilla envelope that seals and put the envelope in a specially marked box in the employee lounge. There will be no identifying markers on the questionnaires to ensure anonymity of respondents. Support for the survey has been obtained from senior management and the 2 on-site occupational health nurses.
Data Analysis: Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize sample characteristics. Prevalence will be determined by dividing the number of women with UI by those with and without UI. Frequencies of strategies to manage UI and help-seeking behaviors will be calculated. Exploratory analysis of the nature of the relationship between UI and work will be conducted. Because of the exploratory nature of this study, plausible links between demographic, parity, body mass index, work factors, and UI will also be investigated. Open- ended responses will be analyzed by content.
Implications: This study will yield important information about the magnitude of UI in an essentially healthy group of working women. Information about the impact of UI in the workplace will also be elicited. A multi-disciplinary intervention-based study to be submitted for external funding that incorporates the impact of UI on work, women's understanding of UI, and their help-seeking behavior will be developed from this preliminary study.
