Osteoporosis is recognized as an important public health concern. Examining the change in a person's height has been suggested as a method of screening for osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between height change, osteoporosis risk factors (calcium intake, weight bearing exercise, smoking, alcohol use) and bone mineral density by performing a replication study on secondary data collected on 168 healthy women, ages 50 to 65, who had a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) screening of the hip and spine to determine bone density. The physiological model of bone growth was used as the theoretical framework for this study. Regression and ANOVA were used for data analysis. The relationships between height change, osteoporosis risk factors, and bone mineral density were not significant for this group of healthy women. The mean height change for these women from driver's license and actual measured height at the time of DXA was -.187 inches. In contrast to other height change studies, this research had younger, healthier subjects that did not manifest significant height loss. Twenty-two women (13%) had osteoporosis, 71 (43%) had osteopenia, 74 (44%) had normal bone density, and three had no DXA report of the spine but normal bone density in the hip. The average daily calcium intake was 625 mg and the average time spent performing daily weight bearing exercise was less than 11 minutes. More than 85% of women did not smoke and over half (53%) did not consume alcohol. Results for this study suggest that height loss measurement alone did not show significant difference between driver's license height and actual measured height in healthy women. However, these women did not meet daily minimum requirements for dietary calcium intake and daily exercise. Although 56% of these women had abnormal bone density, height change from osteoporosis has not yet occurred. The good news is that postmenopausal healthy women, ages 50 to 65, still have time to engage in osteoporosis preventing behaviors to prevent bone loss and eventual height loss. Results of this study have implications for nurses conducting comprehensive osteoporosis risk appraisal.
Disclosure Information:
Faculty Member's Name: Margaret O Doheny, PhD, RN, ONC
I have no relationships to disclose.
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