Knowledge, beliefs and practices regarding osteoporosis among female medical school entrants in Pakistan

Abstract

BackgroundOsteoporosis is a growing health problem around the world. The increasing incidence of osteoporotic fractures coupled with the lack of knowledge about the disease in the general community means that the disease is continuously increasing the burden on health sector and the general population. The purpose of the study is to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices about osteoporosis among female medical school entrants in Karachi.MethodsThis is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted amongst 400 female medical school entrants of DOW University of Health Sciences (DUHS) and Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU). A pre validated questionnaire, Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT), was distributed amongst the participants. A food frequency questionnaire was also distributed to determine calcium intake. Descriptive statistics and Chi square test were used to compare the two groups of students with SPSS (20.0) being utilized for analysis. A p value of <0.05 was considered as significant.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 19.4 ± 1.2 years. Only 8.0% of the participants had a good score pertaining to knowledge about osteoporosis whereas majority of the participants (49.0%) had a poor score. Perceived susceptibility was low as only 14.0% of the participants believed that they were at a high risk for osteoporosis. The RDA for calcium was equal to or greater than 700 mg per day which was met by only 29.0% of the participants despite of the high motivation towards consuming a calcium rich diet. Exercise levels were insufficient in terms of both, duration and the recommended type of exercise. Only 12.0% of the participants engaged in exercises according to the recommended guidelines. Moreover, only 5.5% subjects were involved in definitive behaviors to improve bone health.ConclusionsParticipants possessed an insufficient knowledge of the disease and that too was not adequately applied in preventative practices. There is a serious lack of adoption of preventative practices for osteoporosis. This was primarily due to little appreciation of the seriousness of osteoporosis. Hence, this study highlights the dire need for awareness about practices and attitudes related to the disease. Furthermore, it could be of paramount importance to future studies conducted on practices and beliefs related to osteoporosis.

Levels of Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices Regarding Osteoporosis and the Associations with Bone Mineral Density among Populations More Than 40 Years Old in Malaysia

“…Despite a moderate level of knowledge and health beliefs regarding osteoporosis, osteoprotective practices among subjects in this study were poor. Other studies also observed similar discrepancies between knowledge, beliefs, and practices regarding osteoporosis [49,59]. Osteoporosis preventive practices were not performed regularly by the subjects, because only 37.4% consumed dairy products and 15.0% consumed calcium supplements.…”

Osteoporosis knowledge and beliefs among postmenopausal women: A cross-sectional study from a teaching hospital in southern India

“…This was similar to a study conducted among female medical school entrants in Pakistan, where the mean score was shown to be 33%. [8] A similar deficit in knowledge was observed among nursing students in Damascus, where the mean score was noted to be 39.6%. [14] The grossly inadequate state of awareness with regard to osteoporosis mandates that remedial measures be adopted to bridge this gap in knowledge.…”

“…Sample size estimation : Based on a previous study, where the awareness of osteoporosis was about 49%, and using the formula 4pq/d 2 , where P is the prevalence of poor awareness, q = 1 − p, and d is the allowable error, that is, 12% of p, the sample size was estimated to be 289. [8]…”

A Review of Knowledge, Belief and Practice Regarding Osteoporosis among Adolescents and Young Adults

“…The studies were performed in various countries and regions. The majority of the studies are from Saudi Arabia [ 15 , 17 , 18 , 19 ], Sri Lanka [ 20 ], Canada [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ], Thailand [ 25 , 26 ] and South Korea [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ], Jordan [ 31 , 32 ], Malaysia [ 33 , 34 ], China [ 35 , 36 ] and the rest are from United States [ 35 ], Nigeria [ 4 ], Taiwan [ 37 ], Syria [ 38 ], India [ 39 ], Poland [ 40 ], Denmark [ 41 ], U.K. [ 42 ], Iran [ 43 ], Pakistan [ 44 ], Columbia [ 45 ], the Basque region (Spain) [ 46 ], Japan [ 47 ] and Australia [ 48 ]. Most of the studies included in this review used either self-designed or validated questionnaire to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice among subjects regarding bone health/osteoporosis.…”