OBJECTIVES: To detect the risk factors for urinary incontinence of different severities in Taiwanese women in the Taipei area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multistage sampling questionnaire interview was per-formed in which 1608 women aged older than 20 years were selected from l urban and 2 rural areas in Taipei and were interviewed in person. The women were questioned concerning their demographic characteristics and status of incontinence. Effects of possible risk factors for UI were estimated by multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the total, 205 interviewees (12.7%) who had experienced urine leakage at least once per month in the preceding 12 months were regarded as being incontinent in our study; 146 subjects (9%) were further categorized as having clinically significant UI. The presence of clinically significant UI was positively associated with increased age (aged 65 years or older), the number of normal spontaneous deliveries (NSDs) greater than 2, and a history of a pelvic operation. Our study also showed that neither obesity (high BMI) nor educational level was a risk factor for UI. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the high prevalence of UI among community-dwelling women in the Taipei area, most of the cases were mild. Among the possible risk factors we investigated, aging, the number of NSD, and a history of a pelvic operation constituted the significant determinants for the presence of UI.