Prevalence of enuresis among primary school children in Port Harcourt

Background: Enuresis is a common problem among children and adolescents. It can lead to important psychosocial disturbances. Knowledge of the prevalence and types of enuresis in a community would guide early intervention. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of enuresis among primary school children aged 6-12years in Port Harcourt (PHC) and the types of enuresis among these children. Methods: A cross sectional study of enuresis among school children in 13 primary schools in three school districts in PHC was performed. Pretested questionnaires completed by parents/guardians and augmented by history obtained from the children were used to collect data from 922 school children. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 922 school children, consisting of 463 (50.2%) males and 459 (49.8%) females were studied. The response rate was 82.2%. The overall prevalence of enuresis was 23.2%. Enuresis was notably more common in boys (male: female ratio 1.4:1), and the prevalence rates decreased with increasing age. Of all enuretic children, 92.1% had nocturnal enuresis, 0.9% had diurnal and 7.0% had nocturnal-diurnal enuresis. Conclusion: Enuresis is a common problem among school children in PHC, is more common in males. The predominant type is the primary nocturnal enuresis. Key Words: Prevalence, Enuresis, Primary school-children, Port-Harcourt