Determinants of Bone Mineral Screening Behavior among Three Ethno-Cultural Groups of Women in Israel

Abstract

Bone mineral density (BMD) screening is one of the main means to detect and treat osteoporosis. Yet, the manner in which ethno-cultural background is associated with BMD health cognitions and screening behavior remains limited. Several ethno-cultural groups (n = 100 in each group)—Israeli-born Jews, Israeli-born Bedouin-Muslims, and Jewish immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU), mean age 70 (SD = 7.1)—participated in face-to-face interviews in a cross-sectional survey, using valid and reliable questionnaires on BMD screening behavior, knowledge about osteoporosis, and theory of planned behavior (TPB) components. FSU immigrants reported the lowest BMD screening behavior. The multivariate analysis showed that higher knowledge level, positive attitudes, supportive subjective norms, and greater intentions increase the probability of BMD screening behavior. The TPB attitude component had a more pronounced effect on the probability of undergoing BMD screening among Israeli-born Bedouin-Muslims compared to Israeli-born Jews. Our findings contribute to the TPB by deepening our understanding of the associations between TPB components and BMD screening behaviors, from an ethno-cultural perspective. To assure sufficient BMD screening behavior among all ethno-cultural groups, intervention programs—suited to address the unique characteristics of each ethno-cultural group—are required.

Social Support and Psychological Distress among the Bedouin Arab Elderly in Israel: The Moderating Role of Gender

“…This finding is consistent with previous studies that have found that women, in general, and female elders, in particular, rely more on social support than males do [ 31 , 32 , 33 ], as well as research that found that women benefit more from social support than men do [ 7 ]. The importance of social networks in the context of health issues among older Bedouin women was addressed by Edelstein et al [ 59 ]. Those researchers claimed that limited and weaker social networks may limit these women’s exposure to health-related knowledge, which may lead to poorer health [ 60 ].…”

Correlates of Caregiving Burden among Bedouin-Muslim Mothers of Children Diagnosed with Epilepsy

“…Estimates show that the Arab Bedouin population in Israel is approximately 260,000 [ 41 ]. The Bedouin are Muslim, tribal, traditional, and patriarchal [ 42 , 43 ], and their society holds collectivist rather than individualist values [ 44 ]. In the last decade, Bedouin society has undergone remarkable changes, such as significant urbanization processes [ 45 ], greater participation in the market and wage economy [ 46 ], and more formal education [ 47 ].…”