Assessment of Osteoporosis Awareness and Osteoporosis Risk Level of Patients Admitted to a University Hospital

We aimed to evaluate osteoporosis awareness and risk of osteoporosis in individuals by using the One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test and Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians score.

This descriptive cross-sectional study included 591 volunteers who were admitted to the Internal Medicine outpatient clinic of the University Hospital. The One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test was applied through face-to-face interviews. Participants were classified as low, medium, and high osteoporosis risk groups in terms of the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians scores.

Median score of the One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test was 1 (0-2) and the mean score of the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians was 4.61 ± 3.80. In terms of the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians score, 0.7% (n = 4) of the participants have a high risk of osteoporosis, 5.4% (n = 32) have a medium risk of osteoporosis and 93.9% (n = 555) have a low risk of osteoporosis. One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test scores of participants in terms of the osteoporosis risk levels were not significantly different (p = 0.432). The proportion of having information about osteoporosis in men was significantly lower than in women (21.0% vs. 33.4%, p = 0.004). The proportion of obtained information from medical staff was significantly higher in women than men (86.9% vs. 66.7%, p = 0.005). Informed participants have a significantly higher One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test score than non-informed participants (p = 0.004).

The risk of osteoporosis was found to be low in individuals admitted to the university hospital. The Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool for Asians score was more effective in determining the osteoporosis risk level compared to the One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test. Men should be given as much importance as women in informing about osteoporosis. Media tools should be used more effectively for this purpose.