What do 16‐year‐old girls know about osteoporosis?

Abstract

Evidence suggests that younger women are suffering with what used to be seen as an older woman’s disease. Osteoporosis or “brittle bone disease” is fast becoming a public health matter. To prevent this crippling disease, it has been suggested that it would be beneficial to increase awareness of it through health promotion, specifically that aimed at teenage girls. This study, therefore, investigated what 16‐year‐old girls knew about osteoporosis and related issues. A structured, multiple choice questionnaire was disseminated to five schools within the Borough of Wolverhampton. The questionnaire consisted of 24 questions covering areas relating to general knowledge of osteoporosis, physiology, diet (calcium and vitamin D) and exercise. Two hundred questionnaires were distributed and 119 completed questionnaires were returned. The mean score out of 24 was 9.83; with a standard deviation of 3.39. The results show that knowledge of osteoporosis among teenage girls is poor. Concludes that it is necessary to raise awareness of the issues surrounding osteoporosis, especially in relation to diet and exercise, in this age group.

Citation

Davis, C. (1999), "What do 16‐year‐old girls know about osteoporosis?", Health Education, Vol. 99 No. 4, pp. 153-160. https://doi.org/10.1108/09654289910284580