Effect of increasing awareness of pelvic floor muscle function on pelvic floor dysfunction: a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: This randomized controlled study with blinding allocation evaluated pelvic floor knowledge (PFK) and the presence of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) in women office workers. The effects of receiving pelvic floor muscle (PFM) health education on PFK and PFD were also evaluated. METHODS: Of 161 female volunteers, 145 (90.0 %, age range 18-69 years) responded. They were randomly allocated to three groups (group A 48, group B 48, group C 49). Online surveys were completed by all groups on three occasions using validated tools (Prolapse and Incontinence Knowledge Quiz, PFDI-20, PFIQ-7) and PFM exercise items. On completion of the baseline survey, groups A and B received an education intervention (group C was the control). Following this, all participants completed the second survey. Two months later, to allow time for the PFM exercises to have an effect, group A attended a re-education presentation, followed by the final survey administered to all groups. The results were analyzed using analysis of variance and Tukey's test. RESULTS: Participants receiving both PFM exercise education interventions (group A) and those receiving only the first education intervention (group B) showed highly significant improvements in PFK compared with the control group (both p < 0.001). The groups receiving PFM exercise education also showed a highly significant decrease in PFD symptoms (p < 0.001), and a significant increase in quality of life (QoL; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: While the results of this study cannot be generalized to all women, low levels of PFK was associated with high a prevalence of PFD, and an increase in knowledge/awareness following education was significantly associated with an increase in QoL and a decrease in PFD symptoms.

Validation of the Pelvic Floor Inventories Leiden (PelFIs) in English.

AIMS: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the English translation of an interviewer-administered pelvic floor questionnaire, the "Pelvic Floor Inventories Leiden" (PeLFIs) for women, which addresses complaints of prolapse, bladder, and bowel dysfunction, pelvic floor pain and/or sexual dysfunction related to pelvic floor dysfunction. METHODS: The formal forward-backward translation of the PeLFIs was performed by bilingual Dutch/English translators. The final English version was administered to healthy volunteers (N = 94) and patients (N = 180) in Canada and the United States. Psychometric properties of the English version were examined, including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content, and construct validity. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha. Test-retest reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients. Construct validity was established by comparing scores in healthy volunteers and patients (using t-tests) and by intercorrelating domains. RESULTS: The forward-backward translation of the English version of the PeLFIs was consistent with the original Dutch questionnaire. In total, 274 questionnaires were administered. The retest was administered 2 weeks after the initial PeLFIs interview. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was 0.88 for the total scale. Cronbach's alpha of the domains ranged from 0.71 to 0.95. For the test-retest reliability, the agreement rate between the two tests exceeded 95% and the intraclass correlation ranged from 0.6 to 0.8. The differences between healthy volunteers and patients were statistically significant for all domains, but did not exceed the minimal important difference for some domains. Correlations between the domains were moderate to high. CONCLUSIONS: The PeLFIs questionnaire has been translated successfully into English and in its evaluation has shown adequate internal consistency and reliability.

A strong pelvic floor: how nurses can spread the word.

The pelvic floor contains muscles that support continence, sexual functioning, childbirth and more. Yet, few people even know these muscles exist or how important they are to overall health and well-being. This article explains in detail the anatomy, functions and importance of the pelvic floor musculature (PFM) and how nurses can educate and empower women of all ages about its important role in many aspects of their health and well-being. Accompanying this article is a patient education page with specific instructions on how to exercise the PFM.