April 2004

Few women believe they are at risk for osteoporosis

Talk to your middle-aged female patients about the risk of osteoporosis. That’s the implication for physicians from a survey conducted by Roper Public Affairs and Media for the National Osteoporsis Foundation (NOF).

Many women — more than four out of ten — do not talk to their doctors about osteoporosis or about keeping their bones healthy. Over half (54 percent) of women age 45 to 54 are not doing so due to a lack of concern about the issue or a belief that the doctor would bring it up “if it were important.”

Even though the majority of women aged 45 and older have at least two risk factors for osteoporosis, only 15 percent of those women not diagnosed by a doctor believe they are at risk for the disease, according to a new survey conducted by

The number of women age 50 or older who have osteoporosis or are at risk for developing it will increase from almost 30 million in 2002 to more than 35 million in 2010. Osteoporosis — porous bone — is a devastating disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and increased susceptibility to fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist, although any bone can be affected.

The survey tested women’s knowledge of osteoporosis, the actions they take to keep bones healthy, their overall concerns about aging, the information sources they rely on and their perception of personal risk of developing the disease. The survey was funded as part of a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging.

The top risk factor among survey respondents was having normal or early menopause. Other risk factors — increasing the likelihood for developing the disease — were being small-boned or thin, having a family history of osteoporosis, a history of smoking, leading a sedentary or inactive lifestyle and currently smoking cigarettes.

NOF is a nonprofit health organization dedicated to promoting lifelong bone health.

Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation, www.nof.org

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