The risk of urinary incontinence among women with obese in China： a meta-analysis

Abstract

Abstract Objective The objective of this meta-analysis is to assess the potential association between obesity and overweight, and the susceptibility to Urinary Incontinence (UI) among Chinese women. Methods We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and WANFANG Database to obtain observational study published between the establishment of the database and 10 July 2023. We used the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the Quality Assessment Program of the American Institute for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) to evaluate the quality of the study. When P > 0.1 and I2 ≤ 50%, a fixed effect model is used. Otherwise, a random effects model is applied. Funnel plots and Egger's test were used to explore publication bias. All statistical analyses were conducted in Stata 14.0. Results This meta-analysis comprises 13 observational studies involving a total of 76,606 individuals. The pooled analysis reveals no statistically significant association between overweight and the risk of UI (odds ratio [OR] = 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.97–1.56; I2 = 94.6%, P = 0.000). Among Chinese women, obesity significantly increases the likelihood of developing urinary incontinence (OR = 2.00; 95% CI: 1.55–2.58; I2 = 88.8%, p = 0.000). Subgroup analysis demonstrates no significant association between obesity and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) among obese women in China (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 0.98–1.75; I2 = 0.0%, P = 0.806). Nevertheless, obesity is significantly associated with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) (OR = 1.72; 95% CI: 1.47–2.01; I2 = 34.3%, P = 0.201). Subgroup analysis of regional types shows that obesity in southern and northern China, eastern, central and western regions is associated with a high risk of UI. Conclusions Obesity is found to be positively associated with an elevated likelihood of UI in Chinese women. This study can provide basis for the prevention and treatment of UI, and provide better prevention and management for alleviating the symptoms of UI in Chinese adult women.