Childhood Prevention

Incontinence Prevention: Childhood

Research Priorities (Not in order of priority)

Environmental influence on the acquisition of toileting skills
Longitudinal studies to determine the effect of training or childhood dysfunction on continence in later life
Inter-relationship of skills for bladder and bowel continence
It is shown that children with severe mental retardation can often acquire continence if systematically trained using behavior techniques.
Urinary tract infection in childhood should be investigated and appropriately treated as there may be long-term adverse sequelae.
Schools and teachers need to promote positive attitudes to toileting and to promote an open positive culture about bodily functions.
The value of preventive pelvic floor education or bladder awareness in schools is unproven.
Children with congenital or acquired neurological impairments are not inevitably incontinent if a systematic planned approach is implemented early.

Clinical Evidence (Indicates what is known about preventing incontinence.)

Acquisition of general continence abilities are probably innate in neurologically intact humans.
Toileting skills and behavior that are learned, have a certain plasticity, and vary across cultures.
Although there are undoubtedly many cultural influences on the acquisition of toilet skills, we do not have much evidence of the effect of these on later bladder habits and continence.
There is little evidence that adults with bladder problems pass on abnormal patterns to their offspring. We do not know if these have an impact on the genesis for later dysfunction.
Genetic research has identified a marker for one type of nocturnal enuresis, but not as yet for other bladder dysfunctions.