Urinary incontinence, quality of life and body composition of women with grade III obesity

Abstract

Introduction: Although the clinical repercussions of obesity are already well described in literature, when it comes to morbidly obese women, evidence regarding the prevalence of urinary incontinence, main dimensions affecting the quality of life, and principal musculoskeletal disorders remains inadequate. In addition, most studies apply only the simplest anthropometric measurements, and use elderly women in their population, leaving a gap regarding this condition in adult women. Objectives: The first investigation identified the prevalence of urinary incontinence in morbidly obese women and evaluated the levels of quality of life in this population group. The second study investigated the body composition of adult women with grade III obesity with and without urinary incontinence. Methods: Fifty-six women with grade III obesity, who were in an outpatient preparation service for bariatric surgery at a University Hospital, were evaluated. The International Consultation of Incontinence Questionnaire was used to detect the presence of urinary incontinence, and the King’s Health Questionnaire was used to evaluate the quality of life of those who claimed to have urinary incontinence. In addition, waist circumference was measured, and body composition was assessed using the tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance test. Results: Most of the population, i.e., 57% (N=32), had urine leakage and 42.9% (N=24) did not. The urine leakage subgroup’s (UL) quality of life was low. There was a statistically significant difference between the incidence of normal deliveries in this subgroup (20%) and the without urine leakage subgroup (WUL) (6%) (p=0.005). No statistically significant differences were observed between the WUL and UL subgroups for the outcomes assessed by tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance. Conclusion: Although urinary incontinence was present in the majority of the population included in the study, vaginal delivery was the only variable that was associated with the occurrence of urinary incontinence. A high prevalence of urinary incontinence was observed in the population group included in the study. The research findings contribute to discussions about the impact of grade III obesity on important aspects of women's health, as a significant prevalence of UI was identified even in the sample composed of young adult women.