The Prevalence of Fecal Incontinence is Not that High in China: A National Cross-Sectional Study of 52,946 Chinese Individuals

Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of fecal incontinence in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study of fecal incontinence was conducted in China from February 2014 to March 2016. In total, 55,477 women were recruited. All the subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire that included questions about their age, job, parity, diseases and so on. After excluding the missing data, our total number was 52,946 . Fecal incontinence (FI) was defined as any involuntary loss of liquid, solid stool or gas in the past with no time restrictions. The Colorectal-Anal Distress Inventory 8, CRADI-8 questionnaire was used to evaluate bowel function and the influences of personal lives. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with fecal incontinence. Results: The prevalence of FI was 0.54%. There was a consistent trend toward an increasing prevalence of FI with increasing age, ranging from 0.13% to 1.39%. Women aged 50-59 years were more likely to have FI than women aged 20-29 years. FI was positively associated with POP stage (OR 3.47, 95% CI 2.52-5.34). Urban residence was a significant protective factor (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.99 ) compared with rural residence. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that chronic cough, alcohol consumption, gynecological diseases, and other physical diseases were also associated with FI. Conclusions: FI affects a substantial proportion of women in China. We did not find a FI prevalence as high as that in developed countries. Older age, urban residence, POP stage, chronic cough, alcohol consumption, gynecological diseases, and coexisting physical diseases significantly increased the odds of FI. Thus changing habits can avoid the incidence of FI; however, additional research is needed. Additional healthcare campaigns are needed to educate women about FI in developing countries. Funding: This study received financial support from the 12th Five-Year Plan National Project of the Chinese government, which consists of cross-sectional national health surveys conducted by the National Health and Family Planning Commission for Disease Control Prevention. Declaration of Interest: None. Ethical Approval: Ethics committee approval and written informed consent were obtained from each participant before data collection.