Prevalence and determinants of chronic genitourinary conditions among older women in India: Findings from LASI, Wave-1
Author(s): Utkal Naik, Susanta Kumar Bhuyan, Susanta kumar Behera and Vandana Mohapatra*
Abstract
Introduction: Women have a higher life expectancy than men. However, this does not guarantees a healthy life as women are often disadvantaged section of society. Additionally, women develop a series of natural physiological changes during midlife accompanied with chronic conditions including genitourinary conditions. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and determine the correlates of chronic renal failure, incontinence and kidney stones among women aged ≥ 45 years in India. Methods: We employed data from the first wave of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) wave-1, 2017-2018. A sample of 32,097 women aged ≥ 45 years was included. Descriptive statistics were used to report prevalence along with 95% confidence interval as a measure of uncertainty. Separate multivariable regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between various socio-demographic and behavioral correlates with the outcome i.e. chronic renal failure, incontinence and kidney stones. Results: The overall prevalence of chronic renal failure was 0.53% (95% CI: 0.45-0.62), incontinence was 2.9% (95% CI: 2.72-3.09) and 2.28% (95% CI: 2.11-2.45). The multivariable regression analysis showed participants aged ≥ 75 years had a higher odds [AOR: 1.81 (95% CI: 1.34-2.44)] of having incontinence. Kidney stone were significantly akin [AOR: 1.98 (95% CI: 1.53-2.55)] among participants having obesity. Conclusion: We observed a considerable prevalence of chronic genitourinary conditions among ageing women which cannot be overlooked. The newly formed Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) can be a window of opportunity for egalitarian and responsive timely care which needs to be further strengthened.