Objective: To assess the knowledge of osteoporosis and evaluation of the practice of osteoporosis preventive measures, among females of reproductive age group.
Methodology: A cross-sectional questionnaire based study was undertaken from September 2015 to February 2016 on 174 females (age range 15-49 years) from Military Hospital and Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan through non- probability convenient sampling. Females with any metabolic, muscular or diagnosed bone disease were excluded from the study. The self -administered questionnaire consisted of questions regarding basic demographics, knowledge and practice of preventive factors related to osteoporosis.
Result: Majority (86.8%) females knew about osteoporosis. 80% considered major risk factor to be low calcium intake. Regarding practices, 44.3% of women practiced daily intake of milk in their diet, 69.5 % females practiced physical activity like walking on daily basis and 65.5% have direct exposure of sunlight but only 12.1% of women used calcium supplements.
Conclusion: The study revealed that majority of the women knew about osteoporosis and its risk factors but many of them were not practicing appropriate lifestyle and dietary habits to decrease their risk of osteoporosis. Thus, there is a need of standardized approach to promote healthy behaviors to decrease the risk of osteoporosis before menopause.
Key words: Osteoporosis, preventive measures, reproductive age, knowledge, attitude
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