Is there an association of lifestyle habits, anxiety, and depression between incontinent and continent women during COVID-19 pandemic?

ABSTRACT

Urinary incontinence (UI) is directly correlated with the risk of death and negatively affects the quality of life of women. During the COVID-19 pandemic, women had to adapt their lifestyles to get accustomed to the restrictive measures. The present study aimed to investigate the association between lifestyle habits, anxiety, and depression symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic between incontinent and continent women. Seventy-seven Brazilian participants aged >18 years were assessed through semi-structured telephonic interviews from July to August 2020. The interview included a questionnaire to investigate lifestyle habit changes and two questions from the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) to identify the presence of UI and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Women were allocated into two groups according to their answers to the KHQ incontinent and continent. The chi-square test was applied, the significance level was set at 5%. Significant differences were found between groups regarding the habit to study and the time spent talking to relatives/friends (p < .05). Neither anxiety nor depression symptoms showed a significant association between the groups. It seems that women with UI changed specific lifestyle habits during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to continent women, while anxiety and depression symptoms did not differ between the groups.