Journal article
Complementary and Conventional Health-care Utilization Among Young Australian Women With Urinary Incontinence
Urology (Ridgewood, N.J.), Vol.99, pp.92-99
01/2017
PMID: 27720777
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Source: InCites
Abstract
Objective
To examine the relationship between health status and health service utilization (including conventional and complementary and alternative medicine [CAM]) accessed by women experiencing urinary incontinence (UI). Although a high number of younger women report symptoms of UI, such as leaking urine, only a small proportion seek help for these symptoms.
Materials and Methods
The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is a large nationally representative study that investigates the health and well-being of women. The 2 most recent surveys (2006 and 2009) of the young cohort (women aged 28-33 and 31-36 respectively) were analyzed.
Results
The presence of UI was 8.5% in 2006 (n = 859) and 23.3% in 2009 (n = 1878), whereas the percentage of women who sought help for their UI was 18.6% (n = 160) and 2.2% (n = 182) respectively. Women with UI had poorer health compared with women without UI (P < .005), and women who sought help for their symptoms had poorer physical functioning than women who did not (P < .005). Women who sought help were greater users of conventional and CAM health services (P < .005), including a general practitioner, specialist, hospital doctor, physiotherapist, and naturopath.
Conclusion
UI is relatively common in younger women. However, many do not seek help. Of the women who do seek care, a large number visit CAM professionals as well as conventional medical professionals, despite a lack of research evaluating the efficacy of CAM treatment. Research is needed to explore CAM practitioner approaches to the treatment of UI and to evaluate the efficacy of these treatments.
Details
- Title
- Complementary and Conventional Health-care Utilization Among Young Australian Women With Urinary Incontinence
- Creators
- Jane Frawley - FacultyDavid Sibbritt - FacultyAmie Steel - Endeavour College of Natural HealthSungwon Chang - FacultyJon Adams - Faculty
- Publication Details
- Urology (Ridgewood, N.J.), Vol.99, pp.92-99
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Grant note
- Australian Department of Health and Ageing DP1094765 / ARC (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000163) NHMRC (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000925)
- Identifiers
- 991013036332302368
- Academic Unit
- National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article