PREVALENCE OF RISK FACTORS FOR OSTEOPOROSIS AMONG FEMALES AGED 35 YEARS AND ABOVE IN SAUDI ARABIA

Osteoporosis is a common public health challenge globally but the relative contribution of variousrisk factors for osteoporosis in Saudi Arabia is not well established. We conducted this study to determine the prevalence of risk factors for osteoporosis among females aged 35 years and above in Saudi Arabia. We performed a descriptive cross-sectional study with a sample size of 2070 and determined the prevalence of risk factors as percentages of the total sample size. We foundthat vitamin D deficiency is the major modifiable risk factor for osteoporosis in Saudi Arabia followed by cigarette smoking. Autoimmune and endocrine diseases were also not uncommon. Our results therefore suggest for the strengthening of measures to prevent vitamin D deficiency, reduce corticosteroid-related osteoporosis and curb cigarette smoking.