Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, Toileting Behaviors, and Pelvic Floor Health Knowledge in Younger and Older Women

The primary aim was to examine the relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), toileting behaviors, and pelvic floor health knowledge in younger and older women. The secondary aim was to compare LUTS, toileting behaviors, and pelvic floor health knowledge in younger and older women.

The study included 85 younger women and 81 older women. LUTS were evaluated using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Female LUTS (ICIQ-FLUTS), toileting behaviors using Toileting Behavior-Women’s Elimination Behaviors (TB-WEB), and pelvic floor health knowledge using the Pelvic Floor Health Knowledge Quiz (PFHKQ).

In terms of LUTS, the most common symptoms in younger women are urgency (31.8%), bladder pain (28.2%), and frequency of incontinence episodes (35.3%), whereas in older women, the most common symptoms observed are urgency (64.2%), frequency of incontinence episodes (61.7%), intermittency (46.9%), urgency urinary incontinence (58%), and frequency of incontinence episodes (49.4%). Most unhealthy toileting behaviors correlated with LUTS in both groups (p < 0.05). Although a weak negative correlation was detected between ICIQ-FLUTS total score and PFHKQ function in younger women (p < 0.05), no correlation was found in older women (p < 0.05). Whereas premature voiding, straining during voiding, TB-WEB total score were higher in older women than in younger women (p < 0.05), delayed voiding, position preference for voiding, and PFHKQ function/dysfunction scores were higher in younger women than in older women (p < 0.05).

Within the scope of preventive health services, it may be important to provide informative programs on healthy toileting behaviors and pelvic floor health to women of all ages in order to prevent LUTS.