ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Western Pacific2021
"I'm scared to talk about it": exploring experiences of incontinence for people with and without disabilities in Vanuatu, using mixed methods.
Article in The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Monitoring and evaluation of health disparities for people with disability in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.Epidemiologic reviews · 2026Article
- Climate change, disability, and water, sanitation and hygiene: A scoping review of evidence and interventions in low and middle-income countries.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Experiences of children's self-wetting (including urinary incontinence) in Cox's Bazar's Rohingya refugee camps, Bangladesh.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Inclusion of persons living with disabilities in a district-wide sanitation programme: A cross-sectional study in rural Malawi.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Understanding children's experiences of self-wetting in humanitarian contexts: An evaluation of the Story Book methodology.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Menstrual Health Experiences of People with Intellectual Disabilities and Their Caregivers during Vanuatu's Humanitarian Responses: A Qualitative Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- "The weather is not good": exploring the menstrual health experiences of menstruators with and without disabilities in Vanuatu.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2022Article
- The inclusion of disability and aging in COVID-19 hygiene behavior change interventions across low-and middle-income countries: A review using the COVID-19 Inclusive WASH Checklist.Frontiers in public health · 2022Review
- Managing incontinence in low-and middle income-countries: A qualitative case study from Pakistan.PloS one · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIncontinence is the involuntary loss of urine and/or faeces. It is stigmatised and can reduce quality of life. People with incontinence require water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and incontinence products. People with disabilities are at risk of experiencing incontinence and may face challenges managing, however, minimal evidence exists.
methodsThis study aimed to complete a population-based study of disability in TORBA and SANMA Provinces, Vanuatu to quantify the prevalence and demographics of disability, experience of WASH access and incontinence for people with and without disabilities. We completed a survey, case-control study, in-depth interviews, structured observations and PhotoVoice. 179 people with disabilities and 148 people without disabilities completed the incontinence module in the case-control study. We applied purposeful sampling to select 27 people with and without a disability from the nested case-control, and 16 key informants for the qualitative study to further explore the impact of incontinence on people's lives.
findingsPeople with disabilities were three times more likely to experience incontinence than people without disabilities (Adjusted Odds Ratio 3.3, 95% confidence interval 1.8 - 5.8). Challenges facing all people with incontinence were distance to latrines and lack of incontinence products. People with disabilities were less able to wash and participate in social activities. Less than 10% had assistive technologies; caregivers had no lifting devices. People experiencing incontinence did not disclose this to others, including medical professionals, who also did not raise the issue.
interpretationInaccessible and inadequate WASH, lack of incontinence products and stigma increased isolation for all people with incontinence. Additionally, people with disabilities and caregivers faced discrimination and insufficient assistive technologies. This negatively affected their wellbeing and quality of life, and requires addressing.
fundingAustralian Government's Water for Women Fund and public donations.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.