TENA Reveals America's Silent Incontinence Epidemic

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Jul 18, 2024, 03:30 ET

PHILADELPHIA, July 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Incontinence is often associated with the elderly and infirm but new research by TENA, a global leading provider of incontinence products, shows that a lack of bladder control is becoming increasingly common in the US. From adult bedwetting to temporary loss of control during exercise, urinary incontinence affects a wide range of American citizens – and it's on the rise.

Well dressed woman experiencing urge to urinate. Credit: Biserka Stojanovic.

TENA's research shows that more than 1 in 4 (28%) searches related to incontinence are also related to menopause, a common time for bladder weakness to strike. Demand for information is also growing by 3% each quarter.

At state level:

West Virginia and Alaska see the highest interest in incontinence.
Kentucky, Alabama and Utah see the highest interest in stress incontinence, including urinating while sneezing.

American citizens are also increasingly likely to turn to the internet for advice:

Google searches for urinary incontinence are up 25% since 2019.
There were 13,000 related conversations across US Facebook, X & Reddit over 30 days.
Common topics included pregnancy, menopause and surgery; with many stressing they were unprepared for loss of bladder control.
Most users reported feelings of shame, fear and frustration around the condition, leading to feelings of isolation.

"In my mind, it's something that only happens to women with kids or older women. I've never been pregnant, and I'm in my mid-30s, so it seems like I'm too young to be dealing with this," said Allison Grant, a 34-year-old woman experiencing incontinence.

Hazel Villarreal, Marketing Director of TENA North America, said, "The data reveals a growing awareness and proactive approach to managing incontinence. It's heartening to see individuals taking the initiative to seek out information and solutions to improve their quality of life."

TENA is looking for the media to provide support as they look to ease social stigma and improve quality of care for all US citizens experiencing incontinence. Publishing this research is the first step on that journey.

For more information on TENA and its work with incontinence, please visit the TENA site.

About TENA, an Essity Brand
TENA is a brand of Essity, a leading global hygiene and health company. We offer a full range of absorbent products, skincare and digital health technology solutions that are tailored to the needs of individuals, their families and healthcare professionals.

With TENA, Essity is at the forefront of developing products and services that help improve dignity and the quality of people's lives. We strive for sustainable continence care with better care and better products.

Methodology
TENA analysed over 50,000 search terms related to incontinence over the course of 12 months, using data provided by Google and other popular search engines.

All conversations mentioning incontinence-related topics across Facebook, X, Pinterest and Reddit were also monitored for 30 days utilizing the Pulsar platform.

SOURCE TENA