Prevalence of fecal incontinence and its relationship with urinary incontinence in women living in the community

Objective: The aim of this study was to document the age-specific prevalence of fecal incontinence (FI), as well as its relationship to childbirth and urinary incontinence (UI), in a community-based sample of Australian women. Methods: A total of 444 women aged 26 to 82 years, originally recruited from a community-based research database, completed a self-administered study questionnaire. Prevalence of FI was assessed using the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory, and UI and its subtypes were determined using the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis. Univariate (Pearson s I?2 tests) and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between FI type and UI adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI).