Pelvic health fitness and education: a six-week fitness program for incontinence knowledge and prevention
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Date
2022
Authors
Price, Jessica Lynn
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences
Abstract
Urinary incontinence (UI) is associated with devastating consequences and is highly
prevalent in women. Conservative measures can effectively prevent and treat UI, although
women have little knowledge about these treatments. Practice guidelines for the treatment of UI
advocate for the increased education of women on UI and its treatments as well as promoting
conservative efforts in community settings. Nurse-led educational efforts are effective and costeffective
methods of addressing UI. Nurses are in an excellent position to provide UI education
in community settings. Advancing pelvic health nursing in the community will increase access to
care and promote the prevention and treatment of UI.
This program combines pelvic health education and fitness to be administered in
community fitness facilities. The curriculum is designed to increase women’s knowledge about
urinary incontinence and its treatments, increase self-efficacy to manage urinary incontinence
and decrease the stigma associated with it. This program has been guided by Bandura’s theory of
self-efficacy to increase women’s capacity to self-manage their pelvic health.
The program was adapted due to fitness instructor staffing shortages and the education
portion of the program was implemented on its own as a pelvic health seminar for women.
Evaluation of the program was completed using a paper or online survey before, immediately
after, and at one-month after the seminar. There was a statistically significant increase in
women’s knowledge of pelvic health and a decrease in stigma associated with UI immediately
after the program. This was maintained at the one-month evaluation. Verbal feedback from
participants was overwhelmingly positive showing women appreciated having the ability to
access health education of this nature in more community settings where they can bypass
needing to see their physician or a specialist practitioner. This program fills a noted gap in the
literature advancing nursing practice in pelvic health. It also answers the National Institute for
Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) call to action to increase UI education for women provided
in community settings. Having nurses provide increased education and access to care is vital to
maintaining efficiency in our healthcare system and will relieve long waitlists for specialty practitioners.
Description
Keywords
incontinence and fitness , Incontinence treatment , urinary incontinence , Urinary incontinence--Treatment , Urinary incontinence--Alternative treatment , Urinary incontinence--Exercise therapy , Urinary incontinence--Physical therapy , Pelvis--Diseases , Women--Diseases--Treatment , Pelvic floor--Diseases--Treatment , Pelvic floor--Diseases--Physical therapy , Pelvic floor--Diseases--Exercise therapy , Patient education , Community health services