Urinary incontinence (UI) is a growing global health problem that affects both women and men of all ages and can seriously negatively impact on quality of life. Healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitudes significantly influence the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of urinary incontinence. However, there is a notable lack of research exploring students' understanding and perceptions of UI. The AIM of the study is to assess the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare sciences students about UI, determine the difference in the knowledge level and attitudes about UI to the students' sociodemographic characteristics, and evaluate the correlation between their knowledge and attitudes towards UI.

The study was designed as an observational, analytical, and comparative cross-sectional with a sample of 378 healthcare science students. Healthcare science students N = 378 students (n = 154 medical students, n = 129 nursing students, and n = 95 medical rehabilitation students). A general questionnaire for obtaining sociodemographic data, the Urinary Incontinence Knowledge Scale (UIKS) and the Urinary Incontinence Attitude Scale (UIAS) were used as students' report measures.A general questionnaire for obtaining sociodemographic data, the Urinary Incontinence Knowledge Scale (UIKS) and the Urinary Incontinence Attitude Scale (UIAS) were used as students' report measures.

: The mean score on the UIKS was 16.6±3.9/30. Students achieved the highest score in the domain of knowledge about the impact of UI on quality of life and the lowest in the domain of UI control. There is a significant difference in students' knowledge level concerning the study program, studying year, and whether they had a course focusing on UI. The mean score on the UIAS was 45.1±4.6/60, indicating a positive attitude to UI. A statistically significant positive but weak correlation was obtained between knowledge and student attitudes about UI.

The findings highlight a concerning gap in understanding UI among students despite their pivotal role as future healthcare professionals. While students expressed interest in learning more about UI, their knowledge levels were low across various domains. Students exhibited the lowest knowledge levels in areas crucial for effective UI management, such as treatment modalities and symptom control.

These findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive educational strategies to bridge the knowledge gap and foster more positive attitudes toward urinary incontinence among healthcare science students. Despite its pivotal role as future healthcare professionals, various misconceptions about urinary incontinence were noticed among healthcare science students, and we need to redesign the curriculum in accordance with the results obrati ed in this study.