Knowledge of osteoporosis among women in Alexandria (Egypt): A community based survey

Aim of the work: The current study was conducted in order to assess knowledge about osteoporosis (OP) among women aged more than 40 years in Alexandria of Egypt as well as identifying its relation with other variables. Patients and methods: A cross sectional survey included 532 women aged at or more than 40 years who lived in Alexandria governorate in Egypt was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire as well as the Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz (FOOQ). Results: The mean age of studied women was 49.92 ± 7.75 years. The majority of them (95.1%) reported that they are familiar with OP and 77.1% perceive it as a serious disease and mass media was the main source of information regarding OP (54.2%) among them. The mean total score of the FOOQ was 11.3 ± 3.6. It was significantly associated with the level of education and employment status (P = 0.001 and 0.021 respectively). Regarding the total knowledge percent score, nearly one half of studied females (51.5%) achieved a percent score ranging from 50% to less than 75% and 18.8% of them obtained a score of 75% or higher. Conclusions: The knowledge of OP among Alexandrian women could be considered moderate as regards its risk factors, preventive measures and consequences. Controlling the quality of health information provided through the mass media as well as motivating health care providers to play a role in providing information regarding OP is recommended.