Program development for promoting adherence during and after exercise therapy for urinary incontinence

This paper presents the development process of a health education program to promote adherence to a pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) therapy for women with urinary incontinence (UI). The development process started with a needs assessment phase in which the health problem, health-related quality of life, and behavioral and environmental determinants were assessed. Guided by the intervention mapping (IM) approach, program objectives were formulated and, on the basis of both empirical and theoretical data, intervention methods for influencing determinants of adherence to PFME therapy were chosen and translated into practical strategies. This information was assimilated to a transparent description of the program design. The theoretical rationale of the program was based on the transtheoretical model, the self-regulation theory and principles of targeted communication and sex-specific health care. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.