Perception of Nocturia and Medical Consulting Behavior among Community- Dwelling Women
Resource
INTERNATIONAL UROGYNECOLOGY JOURNAL v.18 n.4 pp.431-436
Journal
INTERNATIONAL UROGYNECOLOGY JOURNAL
Journal Volume
v.18
Journal Issue
n.4
Pages
431-436
Date Issued
2007
Date
2007
Author(s)
CHEN, FONG-YING
DAI, YU-TZU
Abstract
We investigated the perception of nocturia and possible explanatory factors for medical consultation among community -dwelling women. Between October 2004 and February 2005, women aged >= 40 years living in Matsu, Taiwan, who were identified as having nocturia in a previous epidemiological survey, were interviewed with a questionnaire eliciting information about nocturia-specific quality of life impact ( N-QOL), perceptions of nocturia, and medical-consultation behavior. A total of 328 women completed this study. Of these, 187 (57%), 99 (30.2%), 30 (9.1%), and 12 (3.7%) reported one, two, three, and four or more nocturia episodes , respectively, per night during the past 4 weeks. Most women attributed nocturia to aging or excessive fluid intake and had a lack of medical information. Overall, only 13.1% had visited a doctor for this condition. Nocturia episodes [ >= three vs < three, odds ratio (OR) 3.8], N-QOL score (OR 2 .0, per 10-point decrement), linking nocturia to a disease ( OR 2.9 ), and medical information (OR 2.2) were independent factors associated with medical-consultation, whereas the lack of knowledge that nocturia was treatable appeared to be an important barrier to medical-consultation. Only 62.8% of the women were offered treatment upon consultation, even though nearly half of those treated reported significant improvement. A few women with nocturia have sought medical help, which appears to be affected by a compendium of factors. This study suggests that more information about nocturia should be provided to health providers and patients to identify and meet their most essential needs.
Subjects
nocturia
perception
treatment seeking