Rate of Perceived Exertion and Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women Attending Gyms
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Abstract
Background: Stress urinary incontinence is a common pelvic floor dysfunction characterized by involuntary urine leakage during activities that increase intra-abdominal pressure. Women attending gyms may experience leakage during exercise-related movements, but the relationship between perceived exercise intensity and urinary incontinence symptoms remains insufficiently defined. Objective: To determine the frequency of stress urinary incontinence symptoms among women attending gyms and examine their association with rate of perceived exertion, age group, and body mass index. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 323 women aged 25–45 years attending gyms in Sialkot, Daska, and Gujranwala. Participants attending gyms at least three days per week were included, while women with diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, urinary tract infection, or previous urinary incontinence surgery were excluded. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, the Urinary Incontinence Questionnaire, and the Borg 10-point Rating of Perceived Exertion scale. Associations were analyzed using chi-square tests in SPSS version 27.0. Results: The mean age was 33.88 ± 6.48 years, and the mean body mass index was 30.49 ± 6.09 kg/m². Exercise-related leakage on UIQ4 was reported sometimes or often by 83 participants (25.7%). Most participants reported light or moderate perceived exertion. Rate of perceived exertion was not significantly associated with any urinary incontinence item. Age group was significantly associated with UIQ1, UIQ3, UIQ4, UIQ5, UIQ6, and UIQ7, while body mass index was significantly associated with UIQ3 and UIQ4. Conclusion: Stress urinary incontinence-related symptoms were present among gym-attending women, particularly during exercise-related activity. Perceived exertion was not significantly associated with urinary symptoms, whereas age and body mass index showed significant associations with selected urinary incontinence items
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