Examination of Genital Hygiene, Quality of Life, and Urinary Incontinence Awareness in Menopausal Women After the Earthquake

This descriptive study was conducted to examine the genital hygiene, quality of life, and urinary incon-tinence awareness of post-menopausal women aged 55 and older living in the earthquake region after the disaster. The study was carried out between 07.07.2023 and 20.01.2024, with the participation of women who were 55 years old or older, lived in the Arsuz District of Hatay City, and met the inclusion criteria. Socio-demographic data form, Urinary Incontinence Awareness and Attitude Scale, The Utian Quality of Life Scale, and Genital Hygiene Behaviour Scale were used to evaluate the participants in the study. The average age of the participants in the study was 64.05± 8.04. 55% of the participants were illiterate, and 42% were primary school graduates. 55% of the participants were diagnosed with incon-tinence before the disaster, and 31 participants (%9.68) stated that the frequency of incontinence increased after the disaster. In the study, it was revealed that participants had lower quality of life due to the disaster (X̄±SS=64.41±10.06). Additionally, they were aware of urinary incontinence as a health problem (X̄±SS=35.76±4.10) and experienced fear of urinary leakage due to incontinence (X̄±SS=10.76±2.95). In addition, in the urinary incontinence awareness assessment, it was shown that the participants had high health motivation regarding urinary incontinence, which they perceived as a health problem. However, some participants have reported an increase in urinary incontinence follow-ing the earthquake. This situation especially suggests that post-earthquake living conditions may negatively affect hygiene practices and reduce the quality of life by causing health problems. Therefore, the hygiene and health problems experienced by women in disaster situations need to be considered.