Knowledge of, attitudes toward, and activity to prevent osteoporosis among middle-aged and elderly women.

The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitude, and activity regarding osteoporosis of middle-aged and elderly women in Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. A community population-based cross-sectional study was conducted with a randomly-selected sample of 447 females aged 40 and over (M = 53.35 yrs). A questionnaire was used to collect data and was delivered by way of a face-to-face interview. The findings indicated that the mean score on a " knowledge " scale was 15.37 (SD = 11.37; total scores ranging from 0 to 44). Among six dimensions of knowledge, the highest score was noted for " incidence of osteoporosis "; and the lowest score was for " diagnosis and treatment ". For attitudes, the highest score was noted for " perceived efficacy of actions "; whereas the lowest score was for " perceived susceptibility ". For preventive activity, women revealed extremely low percentages in " checking bone mass density " (2.7%) and " reading materials relating to osteoporosis " (7.8%). Multiple and stepwise regression analyses on preventive activity indicated that six variables (knowledge, previous physical examination history, perceived severity of osteoporosis, perceived value of early detection and treatment, attainment of a senior high school degree or over, and health status) could be singled out as significant factors and accounted for 36.1% of the variance. These findings reveal that broader health educational programs and health services regarding osteoporosis are necessary for Taiwanese women.