Endocrine Abstracts

Backgrounds: As the average lifespan in human increases, osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related fractures have been major health care problems. Despite recent advances in medical treatment, few studies have assessed the recognition of osteoporosis by general adults. This study examined the recognition of osteoporsosis and analysed the relating factors.

Methods: We made one to one questions in a rural area called chunjunlee in chunchon city. The questionnaire contained general characteristics of people, sociocultural factors, questions constructed to know recognition of osteoporosis and factors that were presumed to influence people’s recognition of osteoporosis. DEXA was done to people who visited medical office of free service.

Results: Total number of people who fulfilled the questionnaire was 204. They were composed of 81 men and 123 women. Women of 83% and of men 72.8% said that they had heard about osteoporosis. There was no significant recognition score difference between men and women. In the items of recognition, wrong answer rate about the association between osteoporosis and musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, low back pain was above 90%. Significant factors that influencing recognition were age, education level, menopause state and newspaper/magazine subscription. All men who were diagnosed osteoporosis on DEXA sad that they didn’t have osteoporosis.

Conclusions: Many people had conceptual confusion between osteoporosis and other muscular skeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, low back pain. Physicians played no significant role in improvement of people’s recognition of osteoporosis. Generally men thought that osteoporosis was problem of women.