One hundred and fifty men with urinary incontinence. II. Help seeking and self care.

150 Norwegian men with urinary incontinence living in the community were interviewed about their self care and help seeking behaviour. They were recruited to the study after responding to a marketing campaign for incontinence aids. A wide variety of control measures was used, the most popular being absorbent products. 25 men had not used any control measure. 104 men had mentioned their problem to a doctor. The consultation rate increased with the severity of urinary incontinence but was not correlated to its type or duration, nor to the patient's age or marital status. A multiple regression analysis showed that none of the recorded variables explained more than 10% of the total variation in consultation rate, and that no combination of variables explained more than 12%. Subtle personal and idiosyncratic mechanisms are probably more important, thus presenting a challenge for the case-finding strategy in general practice for urinary incontinence in men.