Awareness of osteoporosis in men

To assess the awareness in office workers about osteoporosis in men.

The cross-sectional study was conducted in different offices in the 5 districts of Karachi from June to December 2014, and comprised office workers not related to the medical profession and belonging to middle and upper socioeconomic groups with education level of Masters and above. A questionnaire was used as the data collection tool and the collected data was analysed using SPSS 16.

A total of 420 questionnaires were distributed of which 360(86%) were analysed. The mean age of the respondents was 44±9.11 years; mean height was 5.6±0.26 feet; mean weight was 70.8±1.20 kg; and 55% (198) participants were smokers. Only 14.7%(53) had heard of osteoporosis,13.3%(48) had heard of osteoporotic fracture, 17.5%(63) knew that osteoporosis can occur in males also,14.2%(51) knew that osteoporosis occurs secondary to smoking and alcohol consumption, 15%(54) knew worldwide 1 in every 8 males after 60 years suffers from osteoporosis, 22.5%(81) knew that it can be prevented with adequate calcium and vitamin D, and 30%(108) used internet to seek information regarding medical issues. In total, 54.4%(196) reported regular milk intake, 22.5%(81) took calcium supplements,23.6%(85) took vitamin D, 33.1%(85)performed regular exercise, 18.1%(65) had got their serum calcium and vitamin D levels checked. There was no association between smoking and the level of awareness (p=0.219). There was significant association between those who took calcium and the level of awareness (p=0.00), and between those who performed regular physical exercise and their level of awareness (P=0.001).

There is a need to educate people as well as healthcare providers about the need to keep an eye on male osteoporosis. National awareness strategies should be implemented to cope with the issue.