A Comparison of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Pregnant Women With and Without Stress Urinary Incontinence

Abstract

Introduction and HypothesisThis study aimed to compare healthy lifestyle behaviors between pregnant women with and without stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We hypothesized that SUI might influence lifestyle behaviors, including hydration, nutrition, physical activity, and pregnancy-related responsibilities.MethodsThis descriptive and comparative study was conducted at the obstetrics outpatient clinic of a maternity hospital between April and October 2024. The sample consisted of 210 pregnant women, including 105 diagnosed with SUI and 105 without SUI. Data were collected using a personal information form, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), and the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Pregnancy Scale.ResultsPregnant women with SUI had significantly higher mean ICIQ-SF scores than those without SUI (t = 18.554, p = 0.001, d = 2.561), indicating greater symptom severity. Although the SUI group scored lower on the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Pregnancy Scale, this difference was not statistically significant (U = 5102.00, p = 0.351). In addition, correlation analyses revealed no significant relationship between urinary incontinence severity and healthy lifestyle behaviors in either group or in the total sample.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that SUI does not significantly impact healthy lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy. Regardless of SUI status, most pregnant women appeared to maintain attention to health-promoting practices. These findings highlight the resilience and motivation of pregnant women in maintaining health-promoting behaviors despite physical challenges and contribute new evidence to the limited literature on this topic.