Perception of risk factors and DXA T score among at-risk females of osteoporosis

[[abstract]]Keywords: nurses;nursing;osteoporosis;prevention;women’s health Aim. This paper reports a study to investigate the relationships among bone mineral density, demographics, knowledge of osteoporosis, beliefs concerning osteoporosis and preventive behaviours of at-risk females with family histories of osteoporosis. Background. Strong evidence demonstrates that genetics is a significant determinant of peak bone mass, with a heritability of 50–90%. However, few studies have examined the bone mineral density of at-risk females with family histories of osteoporosis, particularly in an Asian population. Design. Telephone survey. Methods. The study population (n = 2890) was recruited from a radiology department at a national university medical centre in northern Taiwan during 2005–2006. In total, 886 females completed a questionnaire via the telephone; the participation rate was 30·7%. Results. The bone mineral density of at-risk females was close to osteopenia status (T score of −1 to −2·49). Most subjects were aware of osteoporosis-related information; however, few clearly understood osteoporosis. Furthermore, subjects reported difficult implementing strategies to improve bone mineral density. Variation in bone mineral density was correlated with self-rated health (r = 0·56, p < 0·05), knowledge of osteoporosis (r = 0·66, p < 0·05) and preventive behaviours (r = 0·68, p < 0·05). Conclusions. This study is to examine risk factors associated with bone mineral density of females with family histories of osteoporosis. Early identification of risk factors for osteoporosis and development of prevention programmes are required to halt the increasing in the incidence of osteoporosis and improve the bone mineral density of at-risk females. Relevance to clinical practice. Nursing care professionals, who emphasise primary, secondary and tertiary prevention with individuals and families, should develop effective prevention strategies for women with family the history of osteoporosis to protect the health of these vulnerable populations at-risk for osteoporosis