Knowledge of osteoporosis and its related risk factors among nursing professionals

Knowledge about osteoporosis and its related risk factors may be lacking among nurses in Singapore. The objective of this study was to assess the various aspects related to nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding osteoporosis.

The Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz was used to survey 100 nurses who attended an osteoporosis nursing symposium at the largest hospital in Singapore.

No respondent scored 100 percent on the quiz. One-way ANOVA showed that tertiary hospital respondents had a lower mean score at 14.26 +/- 2.571 compared to the scores of staff from polyclinics and rehabilitation hospitals at 15.71 +/- 1.704 and 16.67 +/- 1.211, (p-value is 0.029), respectively. Respondents had good knowledge regarding certain aspects of osteoporosis. The majority (94.6 percent) knew that without preventive measures, 20 percent of women older than 50 years would have a fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime, that bone loss speeds up after menopause (92.9 percent) and that smoking increases the risk of osteoporosis (91.1 percent). However, only one (1.8 percent) respondent knew that the statement "walking has a great impact on bone health" is false. Knowledge about the required calcium intake in growing children was also poor, with 39.3 percent believing that a glass of milk provided enough calcium to prevent osteoporosis in this age group.

Although this was a small pilot study, it does highlight the fact that knowledge of osteoporosis among nurses in Singapore may be insufficient. More osteoporosis outreach programmes for nursing professionals are warranted.