Evaluation of osteoporosis knowledge among adult Saudi Women in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Osteoporosis (OP) is more common in women than men. Evaluating women's knowledge of the risk factors, signs, and symptoms of OP is important as this would be useful for developing proper preventive measures. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the level of OP knowledge of women in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study, 284 adult Saudi females completed a questionnaire that collected their demographic and health characteristics, as well as their level of OP knowledge, using the Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, t-test, and analysis of variance, with an alpha level of 0.05. The prevalence of OP was 6%. Approximately 18% of the sample had poor overall OP knowledge, whereas 77% and 4% had good and very good knowledge, respectively. Furthermore, the participants showed better knowledge of the symptoms and risk of fracture due to OP, followed by OP risk factors. However, they had less knowledge of the treatment availability and protective factors against OP. Several demographic factors, including age (middle adulthood vs early adulthood; P = .030 and vs old age; P = .033), education (illiterate vs general; P = .032, vs university; P = .023, and vs higher education; P = .002), and marital status (divorced vs single; P = .013, vs married; P = .044, widow vs single; P = .003, and vs married; P = .011), as well as employment status (P = .013), significantly affected the level of knowledge. Health-related factors, including diagnosis of OP (P = .008), family history of OP (P = .037), history of fracture (P = .026), and early menopause (P = .044), were also significantly associated with higher knowledge scores. Most Saudi women in Tabuk have a good overall level of knowledge about OP. Although they had better knowledge of OP symptoms and risk factors, they had less knowledge of the treatment availability and protective factors against OP, such as proper diet and physical activity. We recommend that more efforts be made to raise awareness and increase education regarding OP, especially among older and less-educated women.