Association between Life's essential 8 and stress urinary incontinence in women from the National Health and nutrition examination survey 2005–2018: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract Objective Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) may be associated with cardiovascular disease. Life's Essential 8 (LE8), a recently updated measure of cardiovascular health (CVH), has been investigated for its association with SUI in women. Methods The study adopted a cross‐sectional design with national scope, incorporating 9332 women aged 20 and above, selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset from 2005 to 2018. The LE8 metric, which varies from 0 to 100, was evaluated based on the criteria set by the American Heart Association. SUI was determined based on self‐report. To evaluate these correlations, we employed models with multivariable logistic variables and a restricted cubic spline. Results In the cross‐sectional study, a total of 9332 participants were included (weighted average age, 52.23 years), and 4274 had SUI (weighted percentage, 48.64%). Considering potential confounders, it was found that higher LE8 scores were associated with lower odds of SUI (odds ratio [OR] for each 10‐point increase was 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80–0.87). Compared to participants with lower LE8 scores, those with higher LE8 scores had a 57% lower probability of developing SUI. There was a statistically significant association between LE8 score and SUI among participants who were middle‐aged, non‐Hispanic white, had higher levels of education and income, and were living with a partner. Conclusion According to this study, there was an association between increase in Life's Essential 8 and reduction in SUI risk. Therefore, promoting optimal CVH may associate with reducing SUI in women.