To determine and compare the effects of an unsupervised behavioral and pelvic floor muscle training (B-PFMT) program delivered in two formats on nocturia, urinary urgency, and urinary frequency in postmenopausal women.
A secondary analysis used data collected from women enrolled in the TULIP study. Women aged 55 years or more with no urinary incontinence were provided the B-PFMT program. Each woman was randomly assigned to a face-to-face class that took about 2 h (2-hrClass) or to a DVD showing essentially the same information as a 20-minute video (20-minVideo). All women were instructed to independently continue the program following their education session. Three urinary outcomes were assessed at baseline, 3, 12, and 24 months.
Nocturia and urinary urgency were examined with one item each from the questionnaire-based voiding diary, and urinary frequency was assessed with patients' self-documenting 3-day bladder diary.
Women in the 2-hrClass group experienced significantly fewer nocturia episodes and longer average inter-void interval at each follow-up and fewer urinary urgency episodes at 12 months. Women in the 20-minVideo group experienced significantly fewer episodes of nocturia and urinary urgency and longer average inter-void interval at each follow-up time point. No significant between-group differences were found for any outcome, except for nocturia at 24 months, when effectiveness favored women in the 20-minVideo group.
Unsupervised B-PFMT programs are effective for improving postmenopausal women's urinary outcomes regardless of the format. The optimal format to deliver B-PFMT programs in terms of effectiveness should be explored in future studies.
Maturitas. 2021 Feb 04 [Epub]
Chen Wu, Diane Newman, Todd A Schwartz, Baiming Zou, Janis Miller, Mary H Palmer
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC, United States., University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Philadelphia, PA, United States., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC, United States., University of Michigan, School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI, United States., Helen W. & Thomas L. Umphlet Distinguished Professor in Aging, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing, CB 7460, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460, United States. Electronic address: .