O conhecimento da pessoa idosa sobre a incontinência urinária e a importância da intervenção fisioterapêutica na comunidade

Abstract

Urinary incontinence is characterized by the involuntary loss of urine and has multifactorial causes, being classified into three types: stress, urge, and mixed. This condition is common among the elderly, significantly affecting their quality of life, many of whom are unaware of the problem. This study aimed to analyze the knowledge of the elderly about urinary incontinence and the importance of physiotherapeutic intervention in the community. Specifically, it sought to discuss urinary incontinence and physiotherapy as a therapeutic resource, enumerate the knowledge of the elderly on this topic, and identify variables associated with knowledge about urinary incontinence and physiotherapy. This is a field, quantitative, applied, descriptive, and observational research, approved by the CEP (opinion 6.679.787), conducted with 30 elderly individuals through a questionnaire that addressed the perception of urinary incontinence and physiotherapy, in addition to collecting data on age, gender, and education. The data were tabulated and analyzed using Stata software version 14.0, with a significance level of 5% (p<0.05). The results showed that 73.33% of the elderly are unaware of the term urinary incontinence and 80.00% do not know about treatments, implying a lack of knowledge of risk factors and prevention strategies. It was concluded that the knowledge of the elderly about urinary incontinence and physiotherapy as an intervention is limited, which can negatively affect their quality of life. The need for health education and physiotherapy programs in health units for this age group is highlighted, promoting autonomy and knowledge.