Cultural perspective of urinary incontinence: similarities and differences between white elderly and Korean immigrant women

Abstract

Little is known about whether differences in help‐seeking behaviours for urinary incontinence (UI) between the general population and Korean immigrant women are associated with differences in meaning of having UI from a cultural perspective. The purpose of this paper is to examine the similarities and uniqueness associated with these two perspectives from both the US and Korean standpoints. Similar to the USA, UI in Korea has been constructed from a biological perspective. The cultural construction of UI in both the USA and Korea is grounded in sexism. Subtle differences exist in each country regarding ageism and shame. In this cultural construction of UI on sexism, ageism and shame, managing the signs and symptoms of UI necessitates an approach different from that used in countries such as the USA. Findings from this study will contribute to understanding the health in Korean immigrant women who have poor health care access and utilization owing to cultural constraints. Health policy for minorities and policy makers should consider the cultural variances and meaning of UI.