Prevalence of urinary incontinence in female physical education students at Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, Tubarão

This research evaluated the prevalence of urinary incontinence among women graduates of physical education of Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Tubarão 2011, using transversal design. Collection of information was completed trough ‘’International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire– Short Form’’ (ICIQ-SF), translated and validated in Portuguese. The variables were analyzed through SPSS 15.0, using Pearson’s method of Chi-square testing or Anova’s whenever it’s appropriate, considering p<0,05 significant. With a total of 110 (100%) interviews, 71 (64,5%) reported no loss of urine of any type, 35,5% reported urinary incontinence which of these 16,4% claimed once a week mishap, 10,9% complained of several mishaps during the day, 4,5% experience urine loss 2 to 3 times a week and 3,6% of the participants reported a daily urine loss. The research revealed a significant link (p<0,0001) between physical activity and loss of urine. Athletics seems to be the most significant activity in relation to urine incontinence, furthermore there’s a link between frequency of activities and urine loss. In conclusion, this research divulged that even healthy young women can show urinary loss symptoms when submitted to triggering activities such as physical exercise. Our work has showed a prevalence of urinary incontinence significant and similar to other studies found in national and international literature.