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National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF)
Releases Survey Showing Few Women
Believe They Are at Risk for
Osteoporosis, Despite Staggering
Prevalence Numbers
NOF Urges Women to
Talk to Their Doctors About Their Bones
April 6, 2004
(Washington, D.C) – 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
Roper Public Affairs and Media on behalf
of the National Osteoporosis Foundation
(NOF).
NOF prevalence estimates
show the number of women age 50 and
older who have osteoporosis or are at
risk for developing the disease will
increase from almost 30 million in 2002
to over 35 million in 2010.
Osteoporosis, or 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 osteoporosis. The survey was
funded as part of a grant that NOF
received from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services,
Administration on Aging.
“Women need to know their
health risk for osteoporosis and what
they can do to prevent the disease,”
said Josefina G. Carbonell, Assistant
Secretary for Aging. “While we know that
effective prevention, diagnosis and
treatment strategies exists for
osteoporosis, many women have not taken
action. At AoA, we want to reverse this
trend. We want women empowered on this
issue and we want them taking action to
prevent this debilitating disease,”
Carbonell added.
Women Express Little
Concern About Risk of Bone Loss
“Women do not perceive
themselves to be personally at risk for
osteoporosis, even though one in two
women aged 50 and older will experience
an osteoporosis related fracture in
their lifetime. Women age 45 and older
may be aware of osteoporosis, but do not
relate that awareness to their own
risk,” said Judith Cranford, Executive
Director, NOF.
“We need to bridge the
gap between perception and reality that
is underscored by this survey, and
encourage women to assess their personal
risk and take the preventative steps
that can help them to protect their
bones including speaking to their
healthcare professional,” said Bess
Dawson-Hughes, MD, President, NOF.
When asked to identify
their level of concern about a range of
common health issues – only 62 percent –
said they were “very or somewhat
concerned” about their risk of bone
loss.
The Top Risk Factor
The top risk factor cited
for osteoporosis among survey
respondents was having normal or early
menopause. Other risk factors –
increasing the likelihood for developing
osteoporosis – 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.
Women Are Not Talking
With Their Doctor
Many women, more than
four out of ten, are not talking to
their doctor about osteoporosis or
keeping their bones healthy. Over half –
54 percent – of the women age 45 to 54
are not doing so due to a lack of
concern about the issue or a belief that
their doctor would bring it up “if it
were important.”
Recognizing the
Importance of Early Diagnosis and
Testing
Regardless of age, the
women surveyed are aware that early
diagnosis and having a bone
density test are important. But, nearly
four in ten have not had a bone density
test. Bone density tests, which measure
the amount of bone in different parts of
the skeleton and can predict risk of
future fracture, become more common when
women reach 55 years of age.
About the Survey
A total of 500 telephone
interviews of women who were
representative of all women 45 years and
older were conducted from July 8 through
August 12, 2003. The sampling was a
random digit dialing system that
includes all telephone households in the
United States, both listed and unlisted.
The sample for this survey was drawn
from this frame using probability
selection procedures, since the findings
are to be statistically projectable to
all women 45 years and older. The margin
of sampling error is +/- four percentage
points of the total sample.
The National Osteoporosis
Foundation is the leading national
nonprofit health organization solely
dedicated to promoting lifelong bone
health in order to reduce the widespread
prevalence of osteoporosis and
associated fractures, while working to
find a cure for the disease through
programs of research, education and
advocacy.
Please click here to view the
survey results (Adobe Reader required).
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