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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2006 Feb;29(2):385-90.
doi: 10.2337/diacare.29.02.06.dc05-1781.

Lifestyle intervention is associated with lower prevalence of urinary incontinence: the Diabetes Prevention Program

Jeanette S Brown  1 , Rena Wing, Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, Leroy M Nyberg, John W Kusek, Trevor J Orchard, Yong Ma, Eric Vittinghoff, Alka M Kanaya; Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Lifestyle intervention is associated with lower prevalence of urinary incontinence: the Diabetes Prevention Program

Jeanette S Brown et al. Diabetes Care. 2006 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Diabetes is associated with increased urinary incontinence risk. Weight loss improves incontinence, but exercise may worsen this condition. We examined whether an intensive lifestyle intervention or metformin therapy among overweight pre-diabetic women was associated with a lower prevalence of incontinence.

Research design and methods: We analyzed data from the Diabetes Prevention Program, a randomized controlled trial in 27 U.S. centers. Of the 1,957 women included in this analysis, 660 (34%) were randomized to intensive lifestyle therapy, 636 (32%) to metformin, and 661 (34%) to placebo with standard lifestyle advice. The main outcome measure was incontinence symptoms by frequency and type by a validated questionnaire completed at the end-of-trial visit (mean 2.9 years).

Results: The prevalence of total (stress or urge) weekly incontinence was lower among women in the intensive lifestyle group (38.3%) than those randomized to metformin (48.1%) or placebo (45.7%). This difference was most apparent among women with stress incontinence (31.3% for intensive lifestyle group vs. 39.7% for metformin vs. 36.7% for placebo, P = 0.006). Changes in weight accounted for most of the protective effect of the intensive lifestyle intervention on stress incontinence.

Conclusions: Less-frequent urinary incontinence may be a powerful motivator for women to choose lifestyle modification to prevent diabetes.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percent reduction in odds for weekly or more stress urinary incontinence in the intensive lifestyle intervention group versus the placebo/standard lifestyle group. Each model is adjusted for baseline hormone therapy use, general health status, and 2-h postchallenge glucose test results. Sequential models are adjusted for the indicated change variables. DM, diabetes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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