Personal hygiene is at the heart of a person's identity and sense of dignity. Being able to care for one's personal hygiene on one's own is very important, according to SCA’s nine-country Hygiene Matters survey. This fact combined with the taboo surrounding urinary incontinence can make everyday life very difficult for many people.
Click on the image to download Hygiene and dignity infographic When asked to imagine in which situation it would be worst not to be able to care for yourself, the majority of both women and men in our survey responded: 'Go to the toilet on my own' and 'Care for my own personal hygiene.' This is something that almost all of us will experience at some point in our lives.
Urinary incontinence
Within this context, it is very challenging that something as common as urinary incontinence is still a taboo subject in almost every culture. The fact is that about 25 percent of women and five percent of men over 35 experience urine leakage at some point in their lives. This means that it is just as common as asthma, raised cholesterol or depression.
As the world's largest maker of incontinence-care products through our TENA brand, SCA knows that being able to keep clean, dry and comfortable is essential. Thus, the security our products provide is important for self-esteem and wellbeing.
Menstruation
In terms of social discomfort, it is also surprising to find that menstruation still causes social discomfort for the majority of women, a result of it being a taboo subject. Also, the need for feminine care is the same worldwide, but in parts of the world cost is an issue. Money is in general the most common hygiene-related issue in the world. Close to 40 percent of the women in the survey felt that they cannot afford to buy all the products they want for their personal hygiene.
Hygiene Matters 2011 - SCA's yearly global survey of people's attitudes and havits regarding hygiene and health