Food Insecurity Is Associated With Urge Urinary Incontinence: An Analysis of the 2005-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

The brain, gut, and bladder health nexus: A conceptual model linking stress and mental health disorders to overactive bladder in women

“…28 Low socioeconomic status and other SDOH (e.g., housing intability, food insecurity, difficulty finding or keeping employment), measured in adulthood, also have been linked with OAB symptoms. [29][30][31][32][33][34]…”

A Social Ecological Perspective of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Other Urological Conditions

“…In this issue of The Journal of Urology Ò , Okada and colleagues (page 481) report an association between food insecurity and urge urinary incontinence (UUI) among adults who participated in NHANES (the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) between 2005 and 2010. 3 Food-insecure participants had 55% greater odds of experiencing UUI in comparison to food-secure participants. This finding adds to previous research, which has demonstrated that LUTS are more likely among adults who experience food insecurity, housing insecurity, financial strain, lack of reliable transportation, and difficulty finding or keeping employment, among other adverse SDoH and unmet social needs.…”

“…[4][5][6][7][8] In Okada and colleagues' study, consumption of food and drink with bladder irritants did not appear to account for the association between food insecurity and UUI. 3 The authors suggested that "food insecurity may be a proxy for social inequity, perhaps the greatest driver of disease. "…”

“…Okada and colleagues call for further research to examine whether specific dietary components may explain the association between food insecurity and UUI. 3 Other possible mechanisms include access to and utilization of health care, [4][5][6]8 as well as physiological stress responses to the experience of adverse SDoH and unmet social needs, particularly when those experiences are chronic or recurrent in nature. 9,10 These mechanisms may explain the association between food insecurity and LUTS if food insecurity is a proxy for the broader experience of social inequities.…”

This Month in Adult Urology

“…In this issue of The Journal of Urology Ò , Okada et al (page 481) from The Bronx, New York, aimed to investigate the relationship between urge urinary incontinence (UUI) and food insecurity using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. 1 Among 14,847 participants, 22.4% reported UUI, and foodinsecure individuals exhibited 55% higher odds of experiencing UUI compared to food-secure individuals. Interestingly, the associations appeared to extend beyond dietary factors, suggesting that food insecurity may serve as a proxy for social inequities, which could be the primary driver of the observations.…”