Independent factors associated with urinary incontinence among community-dwelling older adults

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common geriatric syndrome associated with functional decline, reduced quality of life, and increased vulnerability in older adults. Emerging evidence suggests that UI may be part of a broader frailty phenotype characterized by musculoskeletal impairment and increased risk of adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between urinary incontinence and frailty-related factors in community-dwelling older adults and to identify independent factors associated with UI. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 836 community-dwelling adults aged 50–95 years (mean age: 69.12 years), including 586 women (70.1%). Associations between UI and demographic, clinical, and functional variables were initially assessed using chi-square tests. Variables significantly associated with UI were subsequently entered into a multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for age and sex. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Results: The prevalence of UI was 34.7%. In bivariate analyses, UI was significantly associated with history of falls, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, hearing impairment, benzodiazepine use, hypercholesterolemia, and living alone (all p<0.05). In the adjusted logistic regression model, female sex (OR=5.02; 95% CI: 3.12–8.06; p<0.001), osteoarthritis (OR=1.48; 95% CI: 1.05–2.07; p=0.024), and history of falls in the previous 12 months (OR=1.45; 95% CI: 1.03–2.04; p=0.031) remained independently associated with UI. Benzodiazepine use (OR=1.39; p=0.069) and hearing impairment (OR=1.44; p=0.053) showed borderline significance. Conclusions: Urinary incontinence affected more than one-third of community-dwelling older adults and was independently associated with female sex, osteoarthritis, and history of falls. These findings support the concept of UI as a multidimensional geriatric syndrome linked to frailty and functional vulnerability, highlighting the importance of integrating continence assessment into comprehensive geriatric evaluation and fall-prevention strategies.