{
  "abstract": "Background/Objective: Urinary incontinence (UI) negatively affects wellbeing. As it is often seen as a normal part of aging, management is frequently delayed or ignored, challenging healthy aging. This study aimed to characterize UI in community-dwelling older women by assessing sociodemographic aspects, symptoms, pelvic floor muscle strength, urinary habits, and perceptions regarding UI. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in older women from four communities in Chile. After educational sessions on UI, women voluntarily enrolled. We applied the ICIQ-SF, and pelvic floor muscle strength was evaluated using the Modified Oxford Scale. We also collected information on UI-related topics. Results: Among 32 older women assessed, 40.6% had stress UI, 3.1% had urgency UI, and 56.3% exhibited mixed UI. The mean ICIQ-SF score was 13.75 ± 3.5, corresponding to severe UI, with a mean score of interference on daily life of 6.75 ± 1.92. Older women exhibited low pelvic floor muscle strength (Oxford: 1.97 ± 1.03), a high prevalence of cystocele (84.4%; n = 27), and coexisting fecal incontinence (40.6%; n = 13). An association between UI severity and pelvic floor muscle strength was evaluated (Spearman’s ρ = −0.242, n = 32), but the weak inverse correlation was not statistically significant (p = 0.180). Conclusions: Community-dwelling older women with UI exhibited substantial symptom severity accompanied by low pelvic floor muscle strength, pelvic organ prolapse, coexisting fecal incontinence, and potentially modifiable UI-related habits and perceptions. Although these findings derive from an exploratory sample, they highlight opportunities for community-based education, early detection, and pelvic floor health interventions to support healthy aging.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Talca 3467987, Chile"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Carla Cárcamo-Cid"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Karen García-Tobar"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Adolfo Fuentes-Ramirez"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Emilia Escalona",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-1196-1282"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d2zcjg22d24e0.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/jcm15208041",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "d2zcjg22d24e0",
  "issns": [
    "2077-0383"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/8041",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2745|Pelvic floor disorders treatments"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222515024",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-16",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d2zcjg22d24e0.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:00Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/jcm15208041",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/20/8041"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2745|Pelvic floor disorders treatments",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Urinary Incontinence Among Community-Dwelling Older Women: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Characterization of Clinical Features, Urinary Habits, and Perceptions",
  "title_text": "Urinary Incontinence Among Community-Dwelling Older Women: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Characterization of Clinical Features, Urinary Habits, and Perceptions",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:00Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d2zcjg22d24e0",
  "venue": "Journal of Clinical Medicine",
  "versions": []
}