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Gill N1,2, Jeffrey S1, Lin K-Y3, Frawley HC3
1University of Bradford, Physiotherapy, Bradford, United Kingdom, 2Good Country Physiotherapy, Bordertown, Australia, 3Monash University, Physiotherapy, Melbourne, Australia
Background: Netball is the most popular team sport played by females in Australia, with the majority participating at club level. It is a fast-paced high-impact sport involving running, jumping and quick directional changes. Repeated accelerations and decelerations create changes in intra-abdominal pressures which can precipitate urinary incontinence. To date there is no prevalence data of urinary incontinence in netball players. Experiencing urinary incontinence while exercising has been reported as a reason why some women cease participation in exercise. This has significant implications for general health, with participation in exercise decreasing risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity and depression.
The majority of studies investigating prevalence of urinary incontinence in woman participating in high-impact sport have focused predominantly on young, nulliparous, elite athletes competing at inter-varsity, state or national level. There are limited prevalence data of urinary incontinence in the large number of women participating in high-impact sports who are parous, middle aged or competing at club level.
Purpose: To establish the prevalence of urinary incontinence within nulliparous and parous netball players in a rural netball league.
Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in female netball players (≥18 years). An anonymised self-report survey specific to symptoms of urinary incontinence while playing netball was designed and piloted. A single question “Do you ever leak urine while training or playing netball” was used to assess prevalence of urinary incontinence while participating in netball. The Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis was used to assess urinary incontinence in daily life. Nine clubs agreed to participate and members were emailed study consent forms and information sheets prior to club visits. The surveys were distributed during training sessions and returned at end of session or postal return. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics including absolute numbers, frequencies and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Results: The response rate was 77% (176 of 229 surveys distributed), 50% of the sample was parous, 46% nulliparous and parity information was missing for 4%. Age ranged from 18-50 years (mean 31, 95%CI 29.5-32 years) and body mass index ranged from 17-48 kg/m2 (mean 24.9, 95%CI 24.2-25.6 kg/m2). Prevalence of urinary incontinence while participating in netball was 29% (95%CI 22.8-36.1) in the total cohort, 43.2% (95%CI 33.3-53.2) in parous players and 11% (95%CI 7.8-22.7) in nulliparous players. Only 7.8% (95%CI 3.1-18.5) of symptomatic players had disclosed their urinary incontinence to a health professional. In the total cohort prevalence of urinary incontinence in daily life was 60.8% (95%CI 53.4-67.7).
Conclusion(s): Nearly a third of female netball players and a half of parous netball players experienced urinary incontinence while playing netball, yet disclosure was low. This study provides prevalence data for parity groups playing a fast-paced ball sport at club level, which has been lacking in the published research.
Implications: It is important for physiotherapists working with woman participating in high-impact sports such as netball to be aware of the prevalence of urinary incontinence. Screening for urinary incontinence within netball clubs may assist symptomatic women to receive effective treatment.
Keywords: Urinary, Incontinence, Sport
Funding acknowledgements: Supported by a grant from the Australian Bladder Foundation and the Victorian Physiotherapy Branch of the Continence Foundation of Australia.
The majority of studies investigating prevalence of urinary incontinence in woman participating in high-impact sport have focused predominantly on young, nulliparous, elite athletes competing at inter-varsity, state or national level. There are limited prevalence data of urinary incontinence in the large number of women participating in high-impact sports who are parous, middle aged or competing at club level.
Purpose: To establish the prevalence of urinary incontinence within nulliparous and parous netball players in a rural netball league.
Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in female netball players (≥18 years). An anonymised self-report survey specific to symptoms of urinary incontinence while playing netball was designed and piloted. A single question “Do you ever leak urine while training or playing netball” was used to assess prevalence of urinary incontinence while participating in netball. The Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis was used to assess urinary incontinence in daily life. Nine clubs agreed to participate and members were emailed study consent forms and information sheets prior to club visits. The surveys were distributed during training sessions and returned at end of session or postal return. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics including absolute numbers, frequencies and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Results: The response rate was 77% (176 of 229 surveys distributed), 50% of the sample was parous, 46% nulliparous and parity information was missing for 4%. Age ranged from 18-50 years (mean 31, 95%CI 29.5-32 years) and body mass index ranged from 17-48 kg/m2 (mean 24.9, 95%CI 24.2-25.6 kg/m2). Prevalence of urinary incontinence while participating in netball was 29% (95%CI 22.8-36.1) in the total cohort, 43.2% (95%CI 33.3-53.2) in parous players and 11% (95%CI 7.8-22.7) in nulliparous players. Only 7.8% (95%CI 3.1-18.5) of symptomatic players had disclosed their urinary incontinence to a health professional. In the total cohort prevalence of urinary incontinence in daily life was 60.8% (95%CI 53.4-67.7).
Conclusion(s): Nearly a third of female netball players and a half of parous netball players experienced urinary incontinence while playing netball, yet disclosure was low. This study provides prevalence data for parity groups playing a fast-paced ball sport at club level, which has been lacking in the published research.
Implications: It is important for physiotherapists working with woman participating in high-impact sports such as netball to be aware of the prevalence of urinary incontinence. Screening for urinary incontinence within netball clubs may assist symptomatic women to receive effective treatment.
Keywords: Urinary, Incontinence, Sport
Funding acknowledgements: Supported by a grant from the Australian Bladder Foundation and the Victorian Physiotherapy Branch of the Continence Foundation of Australia.
Topic: Women's & men's pelvic health; Sport & sports injuries
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: University of Bradford 17 August 2015
Ethics committee: Chair of Humanities, Social and Health Sciences Research Ethics Panel
Ethics number: E455
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
