Treatment-seeking behavior in Hong Kong Chinese women with urinary symptoms |
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Authors: | S-K Yip TK-H Chung |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong Tel.: (852) 2632 2810 Fax: (852) 2636 0008 E-mail: yipsk@cuhk.edu.hk, HK |
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Abstract: | A pan-territory telephone survey was conducted in Hong Kong of Chinese women concerning urinary symptoms and their treatment
preferences; 1500 women replied. One hundred and ninety-four (13%) of the 1500 subjects had urinary symptoms. Of these 194,
155 (10.3%) had stress incontinence, 64 (4.3%) had urgency, 10 (0.7%) had urge incontinence, 63 (4.2%) had frequency of urination,
64 (4.3%) had nocturia, 2 (0.1%) had enuresis, and 20 (1.3%) had incomplete emptying. Sixty-eight (35.1%) of the 194 symptomatic
subjects sought medical advice (group 1) and 126 (64.9%) did not (group 2). In group 1, 28 (41.2%) sought medical advice from
general practitioners, 26 (38.2%) from private specialists, 2 (2.9%) from Chinese herbalists and 12 (17.6%) from public hospitals.
In group 2, 4 (3.2%) claimed they had no time, 119 (94.4%) did not think their symptoms were serious, and 11 (8.7%) did not
know help was available. None of the subjects felt too embarrassed to seek medical advice, or felt that they could not afford
medical attention. The strongest predictor for treatment-seeking behavior was the symptom of incomplete emptying (logistic
regression, P=0.004). A substantial proportion of Hong Kong Chinese women with urinary symptoms seek medical advice for their symptoms.
The symptom of incomplete emptying appears to be the strongest reason for them to do so.
Received: 5 February 2002 / Accepted: 24 June 2002
Acknowledgment The research project was supported by the Health Services Research Committee/Health Care and Promotion Fund (HSRC number
531010). |
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Keywords: | Chinese women Treatment-seeking behavior Urinary symptoms |
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