Military Women's Urinary Patterns Practices, and Complications in Deployment Settings

Steele, Nancy; Yoder, Linda H.

doi:10.7257/1053-816x.2013.33.2.61

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Therefore, even mild to moderate symptoms may present challenges for females in military contexts, such as in the field or on deployment, and may influence safety and work performance. For example, servicewomen with urinary incontinence have been found to manage symptoms through fluid restriction and altering their voiding patterns [ 15 ], which may increase their risk of developing heat related illness. The prevalence findings from this study highlight that urinary health should be monitored, and personnel offered support to maintain and manage it at work.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Female military personnel are a growing occupational group. They typically engage in high levels of physical training and load carriage [ 14 ], often work in occupational contexts influencing fluid intake and voiding behaviours, and austere environments where sanitation may be problematic [ 15 ]. Equipment and workplace culture have also been reported to influence the risk of some types of LUTS and the self-care behaviours women use to prevent or manage urinary symptoms at work [ 16 , 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms in a cohort of Australian servicewomen and female veterans

et al. 2022

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Introduction and hypothesis Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common in the general female population. It was hypothesised that Australian female military personnel and veterans would experience similar types and prevalence of LUTS as the broader Australian female population. Methods An online cross-sectional survey was utilised to explore the pelvic health of active servicewomen and veterans in the Australian Defence Force (ADF). For the purposes of this report, only the demographic and LUTS data (excluding urinary tract infections) were extracted and descriptively analysed. Results A total of 491 complete survey responses were received and analysed. Respondent characteristics were comparable to those documented in a departmental report regarding ADF servicewomen. No LUTS were reported by 38% of respondents. Regular symptoms of urinary incontinence were experienced by 27% of respondents (stress urinary incontinence = 23%, urge urinary incontinence = 16%, mixed urinary incontinence = 13%), bladder storage issues by 20–27%, and various voiding impairments by 9–27%. In addition, 41% reported regularly experiencing two or more LUTS, and for over two thirds of respondents, LUTS were an ongoing issue. Relationships between age, parity, and symptoms of urinary incontinence were also seen. Conclusions Consistent with wider research in Australian female populations, LUTS were commonly experienced during service by ADF female military personnel and veterans. Given the high likelihood of female military personnel experiencing LUTS during their service, and a proportion experiencing ongoing symptoms, tailored monitoring and support for urinary health should be available to enhance occupational health, safety, and performance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms in a cohort of Australian servicewomen and female veterans

et al. 2022

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“…Given the high prevalence of genitourinary infections in female military personnel, the ability to prevent and manage symptoms and infections within occupational settings, particularly austere deployed settings, is important. Environmental (e.g., sanitation, climate), equipment (e.g., uniform fabric and design) and organizational (e.g., leadership, access to predeployment education) factors have all been identified to influence the behaviors servicewomen engage in to manage their genitourinary health, with the majority of studies focused on deployed settings 10,12–14 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Environmental (e.g., sanitation, climate), equipment (e.g., uniform fabric and design) and organizational (e.g., leadership, access to predeployment education) factors have all been identified to influence the behaviors servicewomen engage in to manage their genitourinary health, with the majority of studies focused on deployed settings. 10,[12][13][14] Whilst genitourinary infections have been shown to be common in servicewomen, most studies have been limited to the U.S. Armed Forces and as noted above, have strongly focused on the prevalence and experiences of servicewomen during deployment. Addressing the resulting gaps in knowledge, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, risk factors, and prevention and management approaches for genitourinary infections in women serving in the Australian Defense Force (ADF), being the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, and Royal Australian Air Force.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genitourinary infections in Australian servicewomen

O'Shea,

Pope,

Freire

et al. 2023

Neurourology and Urodynamics

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BackgroundGenitourinary infections, including those associated with the urinary tract (urinary tract infection [UTI]) and vulvovaginal region, are common in women, affecting approximately one‐third of biological females. A growing female military workforce necessitates consideration of their genitourinary health risks and needs to support and enhance their occupational health, safety, and performance.MethodThe pelvic health of active‐duty servicewomen in the Australian Defense Force (ADF) was explored using an online cross‐sectional survey. For the purposes of this study, only data related to genitourinary infections were extracted. The data were descriptively analysed to provide estimates of period prevalence rates. Risk factors and prevention and management strategies utilized were identified and described.ResultsOf the 491 servicewomen who provided survey responses, 41% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 37%–46%) reported experiencing at least one UTI and 32% (95% CI: 28%–36%) reported experiencing regular symptoms of vulvovaginal irritation during their last period of active‐duty service. Service arm, length of service, and history of participation in field activities or deployment were not substantially associated with prevalence estimates. Medical assessment was the most common diagnostic strategy for UTI and antibiotics were the most common management strategy.ConclusionGenitourinary infections are common in female ADF personnel and may impact on occupational health and performance. Therefore, organization‐wide prevention and management approaches may be an important strategy for reducing the impact on personnel, their units and mission objectives, by reducing working days lost, utilization of health services and minimizing risks in more austere military environments.

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External Catheter Collection Systems

Newman

Wein

2017

Clinical Application of Urologic Catheters, Devices and Products

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Military Women's Urinary Patterns Practices, and Complications in Deployment Settings

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms in a cohort of Australian servicewomen and female veterans

Prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms in a cohort of Australian servicewomen and female veterans

Genitourinary infections in Australian servicewomen

External Catheter Collection Systems

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