Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, Self-management and Quality of Life in Middle Aged Men

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to find out lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs), self-management and quality of life (QOL) in middle aged men and to investigate how these factors are correlated with one another. METHODS: The participants in this study were 217 men in G City. Data were collected using a questionnaire from October 23 to November 11, 2009. LUTSs were measured by IPSS, self-management by a self-management Likert scale, and QOL by the Korean-version WHOQOL-BREF. The collected data were analyzed through chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: LUTS categories divided according to severity were none (10%), mild (57%), moderate (28%), and severe (5%). The mean score of self-management was 3.14 and that of QOL was 3.27. Self-management and QOL were significantly different according to LUTS. LUTS was negatively correlated with self-management and QOL. Self-management was positively correlated with QOL. CONCLUSION: In order to develop nursing interventions for middle aged men, comprehensive understanding of LUTS is needed.