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Study finds lack of osteoporosis education among men, non-English speaking patients with fractures
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Male and non-English speaking patients tend to display the least knowledge of osteoporosis and, thus, are at a higher risk for subsequent fracture, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
According to the study abstract, the results point to a need for further education efforts across the board — especially for patients who are male, unemployed, speak English as a second language or do not regularly exercise.
“Due to the result of this study, we recommend that anyone older than age 50 who has had a fragility fracture, whether a man or a woman, that person should be assessed for osteoporosis,” senior author Angela M. Cheung, MD, PhD, stated in an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons release. “We need people to be aware of that connection between fractures and osteoporosis to make sure they get the treatment they need.”
An osteoporosis questionnaire
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The investigators identified patients who had sustained a fracture and were attending fracture clinics at two Toronto hospitals, and invited them to fill out a questionnaire during their visit. According to the study abstract, the questionnaire included queries designed to assess patient knowledge of osteoporosis that could be answered through selecting either “true,” “false” or “don’t know” responses. Other questions were designed to collect background information on the patients.
The investigators identified 259 patients who were eligible for the study, and 204 agreed to participate. On average, participants had correct responses to 16.5 of 30 questions. According to the study abstract, the investigators found significant associations between a higher number of correct answers and:
- women;
- speaking English as a first language;
- being currently employed;
- exercising regularly; and
- having received information from a health care provider, newspaper or magazine.
Patients with fragility fractures were found to know less about osteoporosis than those with other types of fractures, according to the release. Greater knowledge of osteoporosis was also associated with knowing someone else — especially a family member — who has osteoporosis.
More education needed
Overall, the authors concluded, the level of osteoporosis knowledge was found to be “fairly low” among the patients surveyed — implying more efforts toward osteoporosis education are needed. Being male, being unemployed, speaking English as a second language and not exercising were all associated with knowing less about osteoporosis.
“Our results can help target certain groups for osteoporosis educational initiatives, especially ethnic groups whose first language is not English, so as to appropriately reduce the risk of future fractures in this high-risk population,” the authors wrote.
References:
- Wilson RK, Tomlinson G, Stas V, et al. Male and non-English-speaking patients with fracture have poorer knowledge of osteoporosis. JBJS (Am). 2011;93:766-774. doi:10.2106/JBJS.J.00456
- www.aaos.org
- Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
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