Assessment of osteoporosis awareness and knowledge levels in people living with HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is associated with an increased risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis through multiple complex mechanisms. With an increased awareness on this issue, patients can avoid the preventable causes of osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to assess the awareness and knowledge regarding osteoporosis among people living with HIV (PLWH).

A total of 329 PLWH agreed to participate in the study. The patients completed a Google Forms questionnaire consisting of three sections. The first section included binary (yes/no) questions to assess participants' awareness of osteoporosis, knowledge about the condition, perceived susceptibility, and understanding of potential complications. The second section employed the Osteoporosis Awareness Scale, while the third section employed the Revised Osteoporosis Knowledge Tool.

The average age of the 329 patients was 40.21±12.4 years, and 89.4% were male. The mean scores were 66.97±20.68 on the Osteoporosis Awareness Scale and 16.34±6.37 on the Revised Osteoporosis Knowledge Tool. When asked whether they were familiar with osteoporosis, 53.2% of the participants responded yes. Notably, 40% of the participants had knowledge about osteoporosis and its complications, with 50.8% believing that osteoporosis is a serious condition that can be life-threatening. Osteoporosis awareness increased proportionally with the level of education (p<0.001). Patients with a pre-treatment CD4 count<200/mm³ had significantly lower levels of both osteoporosis awareness and knowledge (p<0.001).

This study revealed that PLWH have insufficient knowledge and low awareness regarding osteoporosis. In particular, patients with a pre-treatment CD4 count<200/mm³ and those with lower education levels were found to have the lowest awareness level of osteoporosis.