Prevalence of Urinary Frequency Among Women Aged 60 Years and Older in Taiwan

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of daytime urinary frequency among Taiwanese women aged 60 years and older. Materials and Methods: There were an estimated 1.25 million female residents aged 60 years and over in Taiwan in 2000. A sample of 2,410 women was selected using a multistage random sampling method. Face- to-face visits with 1,523 women were completed by trained professional interviewers within 3 months of the subjects' selection. Questions about urinary frequency and other lower urinary tract symptoms, sociodemo-graphics, reproduction, and medical and surgical histories were recorded. The factors were assessed by frequency and Pearson's χ² test using a significance level of < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of urinary frequency in Taiwanese women aged 60 years and over was 18.8% (286/1,521). The response rate was 85.0% (1,521/1,789). For those who complained of frequency, 45.8% voided 8-15 times a day, 37.8% voided 16-23 times a day, 1.7% voided 24-31 times and a day, and 14.7% voided more than 31 times a day. The prevalence of urinary frequency was significantly associated with age (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Urinary frequency is a common symptom in menopausal women and is significantly related to age. More than half of the women interviewed experienced intervals of < 1 hour between visits to the restroom during the day.