Knowledge and Awareness of Osteoporosis in Female Population of Hyderabad, Pakistan

Objectives: To assess the knowledge and awareness of Osteoporosis in female population of Hyderabad Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from 10th April 2019 to 10th June 2019 in Muhammad Medical College and Hospital Mirpurkhas, Pakistan. All female post-menopausal women of Hyderabad district fulfilling the inclusion criteria and attending Orthopaedic Outpatient Department (OPD) were included in our study. The knowledge and awareness of Osteoporosis was assessed through a questionnaire based on Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale (OHBS) and explained in local language. The bone mineral density (BMD) and body mass index (BMI) of all the participants were also determined. Important study variables like BMI was compared with BMD and Chi square test was used to calculate P value (P value <0.05 was considered significant) Pearson's correlation and Spearman's ? analysis was done for important variables of OHBS questionnaire. Results: This study included 200 women. The mean age was 54± 4 years. There were 36(18%) women with Osteoporosis, 110(55%) with Osteopenia and 54(27%) were normal. The mean BMI were 28.2± 3.11 among normal women, 26.2±3.37 among Osteopenic women and 25.2±3.65 among Osteoporotic women. Only few (39.5%, n=79) women agreed that they were susceptible to Osteoporosis, 71(35.5%) disagreed and 50(25%) were neutral. About 81(40.5%) women were serious about Osteoporosis, 65(32.5%) neutral and 54(27%) disagreed that Osteoporosis was a serious health problem. The benefits of physical exercises were acknowledged by 50(25%) women while 84(42%) ladies disagreed. The importance of enough dietary calcium and supplements were recognized by 79(39.5%) women while 68(34%) ladies disagreed. About 98(49%) women agreed that health motivation was essential to prevent Osteoporosis, 66(33%) disagreed and 36(18%) were neutral. Conclusion: Although many women agreed that health motivation was essential to prevent and treat Osteoporosis, their level of knowledge and awareness of Osteoporosis was low.