Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of malaysian women towards osteoporosis

Abstract

Due to the increasing proportions of aging populations in the Asian region, osteoporosis has become more prevalent and increases the health care expenditure in this region. The majority of osteoporotic fractures occur in postmenopausal women. It is important to identify women at the highest risk and to prevent further fractures. We aimed to assess knowledge, attitude and practice towards osteoporosis among Malaysian women in Klang Valley.A cross-sectional study was conducted in 384 Malaysian women aged above 18 years. A researcher-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The participants were selected conveniently from obstetrics and gynecology (O&G) or orthopedic clinics from 6 districts of Klang Valley. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 22, using ANOVA, t-test, Chi-square test and Pearson correlation. The findings show participants had a poor score of knowledge towards osteoporosis. There was a significant association between the level of osteoporosis knowledge and education level, employment status and occupation of participants (P<0.05). The participants had a moderate attitude towards osteoporosis. Age, race and education level of participants was significantly associated with the attitude towards osteoporosis. Most participants had poor preventive practices against osteoporosis. The level of practice to prevent osteoporosis was significantly associated with races, education level, occupation and monthly income of participants. Both knowledge and attitude towards osteoporosis were correlated with the practices to prevent osteoporosis.The participants had inadequate knowledge, moderate attitude and poor practice towards osteoporosis. This could serve as a stimulant for policymakers to increase the education of osteoporosis among younger women. Furthermore, the practice against osteoporosis among high-income participants was higher than low-income. This indicates that poverty should be addressed in Malaysia.