The association between physical activity and urinary incontinence among adults residing in Spain

Objectives: To explore the association between physical activity (PA) and urinary incontinence (UI) in Spain. Equipment and methods: Cross-sectional data from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 were analyzed. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form was used to measure level of PA (exposure), and sufficient PA corresponded to at least 600 MET-minutes/week. UI (outcome) was self-reported in response to the question “Have you ever been diagnosed with UI?”. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations overall, by sex, and by age group (15–40, 41–64, 65–69 years). Logistic regression models were adjusted for sex (except sex-stratified analyses), age, marital status, education, smoking, alcohol, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis, chronic back pain, injury, asthma, thyroid dysfunction, depression, and anxiety. Results: This study included 17,777 participants [48.0% of males; mean (SD) age 45.8 (14.1) years]. The prevalence of sufficient PA and UI was 69.8% and 2.4%, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, doing at least 600 MET-minutes/week of PA was negatively associated with UI [odds ratio (OR) = 0.67; 95%CI = 0.55–0.83]. This finding was corroborated in women (OR = 0.62; 95%CI = 0.48–0.80), participants aged 15–40 years (OR = 0.40; 95%CI = 0.20–0.79) and those aged 41–64 years (OR = 0.71; 95%CI = 0.55–0.93), but not in men (OR = 0.81; 95%CI = 0.57–1.16) and those age 65–69 years (OR = 0.72; 95%CI = 0.47–1.09). Conclusion: Participation in PA is negatively associated with UI. Although further research is needed to explore the direction of this association, PA should be promoted in people with UI, especially in women and young and middle-aged adults.