Factors Associated with Urinary Incontinence in Pregnant Adolescents: A Case-Control Study

Study Objective: To evaluate the factors associated with urinary incontinence (UI) in pregnant adolescents. Design, Setting, Participants, Interventions, and Main Outcome Measures: A case-control study was conducted in 3 Brazilian public hospitals. Adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years with gestational age of 27 weeks or more were included. The sample size was calculated using the Open-epi (http:// www.openepi.com/Menu/OE_Menu.htm) 3.01 program considering gestational obesity as an associated factor. The resulting sample consisted of 658 volunteers, 329 in the case group (with UI) and 329 in the control group (without UI). The subjects responded to the evaluation form containing information about the outcome of interest and possible associated factors. Stata 14.0 software (StataCorp) was used to perform multivariate logistic analysis. Results: The variables age between 10 and 14 years (odds ratio [ OR], 2.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-5.35; P = .023), previous UI (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.36-2.75; P < .001), and constipation (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.23-2.42; P = .002) were associated with UI in pregnant adolescents. Multigravida was not a factor associated (OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.31-0.66; P < .001) for UI in pregnant adolescents. Conclusion: Attention must be given to primigravidae between the ages of 10 and 14 years who report previous UI and/or constipation to ensure referral to the appropriate health care professional for early prevention of UI.