Osteoporosis: a health issue for women

Gender Differences and Socioeconomic Factors Related to Osteoporosis: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Nationally Representative Data

BACKGROUND

Osteoporosis has been considered a disease that primarily affects women, but recently male osteoporosis is also attracting attention. This study aims to comparatively analyze socioeconomic and other factors that are related to the prevalence of osteoporosis in both men and women.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study used data from the Korean Community Health Survey conducted in 2013. To determine factors related to osteoporosis prevalence, researchers applied a binary logistic regression model, first for all research participants, then separately for male and female participants.

RESULTS

Women were more likely than men to have osteoporosis (odds ratio 12.33, 95% confidence interval 11.55-13.17). Factors related to osteoporosis prevalence included age, education level, region, economic activity, alcohol consumption, salt intake, depression, and body mass index in both genders. Low education and income levels were more highly associated with osteoporosis prevalence in women than in men.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the factors were not gender specific, but some socioeconomic determinants varied by gender. Future studies that will focus on the effects of socioeconomic factors on osteoporosis, as well as gender-related differences in prevention and control of osteoporosis, are needed.

Mechanisms of occupational injuries reported to insurance companies in Norway from 1991 to 1996

BACKGROUND

To study the association of injury events, types of movements and types of objects involved in relation to occupation, age, and gender in serious occupational injuries to determine where preventive measures should be implemented.

METHODS

The occupational injury claims made to the insurance companies in Norway for 1991-1996, which were stored in a database, were analyzed.

RESULTS

Falls were the most frequent injury event in both genders and in all occupational groups, and the incidence rate increased with age. Among men, the most common action when the injury occurred was handling of goods or materials, whereas for women it was moving without goods or materials. Primary economic activity and manufacturing had the highest injury rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Priority should be given to reduce the occurrence of falls in both genders, and especially among older workers.

Interaction between current smoking, leanness, and physical inactivity in the prediction of hip fracture

To study the association between smoking habits and the incidence of hip fracture, adjusted for leanness and physical inactivity, a cohort study with 3 years follow-up was conducted. Subjects were 34,856 adults aged 50 years or older who attended a health screening in Nord-Trøndelag County in Norway in 1984-1986 (91% of eligible subjects in 1986, n = 38,356). Of these, 421 suffered a hip fracture during the years 1986-1989. Using Cox regression models, the relative risk (with 95% confidence interval) of suffering a hip fracture for female smokers versus nonsmokers was 1.5 (1.0-2.4). These results refer to females when the female body mass index (BMI) was set at 25 kg/m2 in the female model (the mean BMI for the smoking female population in this study). Among thinner females, however, smoking had a much stronger effect. For instance, if the female BMI was set at 20 kg/m2, the relative risk was 3.0 (1.8-5.0). The relative risk of hip fracture for male smokers versus nonsmokers was 1.8 (1.2-2.9) irrespective of BMI. Smoking is associated with incidence of hip fracture in both sexes and also after adjusting for body mass index and physical inactivity (the effect of physical inactivity was adjusted for self-reported ill health because ill health was included in the model). For lean females, the association with current smoking was large, as large as if they added 10 years to their age.

Reduction of risk factors for osteoporosis among adolescents and young adults

Osteoporosis is the most common of all skeletal disorders. The most commonly accepted definition of osteoporosis is a decrease in the amount of calcified bone tissue to the point that fractures occur with minimal trauma. Researchers have shown that peak bone mass at skeletal maturity may be the single most important factor in the development of osteoporosis. At present, no satisfactory way to replace lost bone exists, and the ideal treatment for osteoporosis is prevention, which must begin early in life. The most promising approach in the primary prevention of osteoporosis is to help each person achieve as high a peak skeletal mass and bone density as genetically possible prior to skeletal maturity. Furthermore, identifying those adolescents and young adults at risk is of clinical value for prediction and counseling purposes. Recommendations for achieving the maximal bone mass prior to skeletal maturity, as well as methods of assessing and minimizing the risk factors for osteoporosis, will be discussed.