The goal of this manuscript is to review the current literature on bladder health education, summarize Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) [50] findings on environmental factors that influence knowledge and beliefs about toileting and bladder function, and describe how PLUS work will contribute to improved understanding of women's bladder-related knowledge and inform prevention intervention strategies.
Analysis of focus group transcripts revealed the various ways women view, experience, and describe bladder function. In the absence of formal bladder health educational platforms, women appear to develop knowledge of normal and abnormal bladder function from a variety of social processes including environmental cues and interpersonal sources. Importantly, focus group participants expressed frustration with the absence of structured bladder education to inform knowledge and practices.
There is a lack of bladder health educational programming in the USA, and it is unknown to what degree women's knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs influence their risk of developing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The PLUS Consortium RISE FOR HEALTH study will estimate the prevalence of bladder health in adult women and assess risk and protective factors. A Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs (KAB) questionnaire will be administered to determine KAB around bladder function, toileting, and bladder-related behaviors, and examine the relationship of KAB to bladder health and LUTS. The data generated from PLUS studies will identify opportunities for educational strategies to improve bladder health promotion and well-being across the life course.
Current bladder dysfunction reports. 2022 May 25 [Epub]
L M Rickey, D R Camenga, S S Brady, B R Williams, J F Wyman, M A Brault, A L Smith, D Y LaCoursiere, A S James, M D Lavender, L K Low, Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium
Departments of Urology and Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, 310 Cedar Street, FMB 329E, New Haven, CT 06519, USA., Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA., Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA., Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA., School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA., Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, Science Center School of Public Health, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX, USA., Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA., Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UC San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA., Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA., Renalis LLC, Cleveland, OH, USA., School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.