ORIGINAL RESEARCH Study of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Osteoporosis among Adult Women in Majmaah City, Saudi Arabia Khalid ElTohami, Waqas Sami, Ahmed AL Eidan, Muaath AL Mubarak, Fawaz Alotaibi Khalid ElTohami, Assistant Professor, Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, KSA
Waqas Sami Lecturer, Biostatistics, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, KSA
Ahmed AlEidan
Abstract Background: Osteoporosis is one of the major public health problems from which more and more people in the world are suffering. There is evidence suggesting that osteoporosis knowledge is one contributor to osteoporosis preventive behavior. Low literacy rates, lack of awareness regarding disease consequences and risk factors ultimately results in increased incidence of this combatable disease.
Objective: The objective of the study was to assess osteoporosis knowledge, attitude, and practice among adult women (18 years and over) in Majmaah city.
Medical students, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, KSA
Muaath AL Mubarak Medical students, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, KSA
Fawaz Alotaibi Medical students, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, KSA
Corresponding Author: Khalid ElTohami E-mail:
[email protected]
Methods and Materials: The data was collected from 390 females in Majmaah city using convenient sampling technique. Participants were asked to fill in a structured, pre-coded questionnaire which consisted of three domains to assess their Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of osteoporosis.
Results: The findings showed that women had fair to good levels of Knowledge (50%), Attitude (55%) and Practice (60%) about osteoporosis. Media was the main source of information about osteoporosis that women identified (57.69%). Significant differences were observed between age and knowledge, attitude and practice of osteoporosis, (p=0.004), in which younger population had a higher level of knowledge and attitude but middle-aged population had a better preventive practice measures. Participants were sometimes exposing to the sunlight (37.4%) and eating vitamins and calcium rich food (50.8%) but rarely performing physical activities (35.4%). Conclusion: Overall, females had good level of knowledge, attitude and preventive practices towards osteoporosis. Media was the main source of information about osteoporosis. Age group 18-25 years and house wives had higher KAP level. KAP was not significant with educational level and income. Females also showed a positive and advisable attitude towards osteoporosis reading materials to protect themselves in the future.
Keywords: Knowledge, attitude, practice, Osteoporosis
www.ijhrs.com 185
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International Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Volume 4
Issue 3
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF OSTEOPOROSIS AMONG ADULT WOMEN
INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is one of the major public health problems associated with aging. It is a serious metabolic bone disease, from which more and more people in the world are suffering1 .It is more prevalent among women than among men2 .Osteoporosis is a "silent killer" that millions of people around the world suffer from it3 and are unaware that they have the condition until they experience a fracture 3. Osteoporosis-related fractures are a major economic concern in many developed as well as less developed countries4. In osteoporosis, the bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, bone micro architecture deteriorates, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone are altered. Osteoporosis is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a bone mineral density of 2.5 standard deviations or more below the mean peak bone mass (average of young, healthy adults) as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry5. There are many risk factors for osteoporosis that cannot be controlled. These include gender, being older, and having a family history of osteoporosis. There are some factors, however, that do fall within your control (i.e. excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, medications and immobilization). According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), some of the best ways to prevent osteoporosis include, getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D, engaging in weight-bearing exercises such as walking or lifting weights, stopping cigarette use, limiting caffeine to three cups of coffee per day or the equivalent for women weighing the pros and cons of hormone therapy6. Worldwide, osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures annually, resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every 3 seconds7. Osteoporosis affects an estimated 75 million people in Europe, USA and Japan8. In Saudi Arabia with a population of 1,461,401 persons 186
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aged 50 years or more, 8768 would suffer femoral fractures yearly at a cost of $1.14 billion9. Osteoporosis effect 67% of Saudi women and accounts for serious danger for patients’ life10. Sunlight exposure can increase the BMD of vitamin D deficient bone and lead to the prevention of non-vertebral fractures11. Women in particular receive little or no sun-light since they cover their bodies with dark veils completely, for cultural and religious reasons which causes vitamin D deficiency resulting in weakened bone12. Public awareness of osteoporosis remains low, especially in lessdeveloped countries13. Recognition of osteoporosis as a fated part of aging, low literacy rates, lack of awareness regarding disease consequences and risk factors ultimately results in increased incidence of this combatable disease14-15. A large number of middle aged and elderly Saudi women are unaware of osteoporosis risk factors. A study conducted among 368 Saudi women who attended the well-person clinic in a primary health care centre in Dirab area, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between January and July 2006. 76% percent of women were postmenopausal and 62% had heard of osteoporosis16. The identification of risk factors by participants ranged from poor to fair. 60% of women identified low calcium intake, 39% lack of exercise and 22% a family history of osteoporosis as risk factors of osteoporosis. Only 48% of participants correctly identified calcium-rich foods17. There is evidence suggesting that osteoporosis knowledge is one contributor to osteoporosis preventive behavior though this is not a clear-cut relationship18. Cross-sectional studies have varied in whether they have found an association between levels of osteoporosis knowledge and osteoporosis preventive 19 behaviors .
International Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Volume 4
Issue 3
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF OSTEOPOROSIS AMONG ADULT WOMEN
MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was a descriptive cross – sectional study. The study was conducted at public places in Majmaah City. The data was collected from (November 2013 – March 2014) using convenience sampling technique. Saudi women aged 18 years old and over living in Majmaah were included in the study whether or not they have osteoporosis. The data was collected from 390 females. The sample size was collected using precision formula. The data was collected by investigators themselves (directly interacting with the participants) using a structured pre-coded and pre-tested questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four parts, the first part consisted of demographic variables, second part was related to women's knowledge about osteoporosis, third part was about evaluating their awareness regarding osteoporosis risk factors and the last one was about their intention to protect themselves from osteoporosis. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Mean + S.D was given for quantitative variables. Frequencies and percentages were given for qualitative variables. Two-independent sample t test was applied to compare KAP differences among respondents. A p-value of
