Knowledge and Awareness about Risk Factors of Osteoporosis among Young College Women at a University in Riyadh, KSA

Abstract

Objectives: To measure the knowledge and awareness about risk factors of osteoporosis among young females in King Abdullah Female City at Al-Imam Mohammed ibn Saud Islamic University. Methods: This was cross-sectional study based on the self-administered questionnaire. Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT) was used for data collection, OKAT will assess the understanding of symptoms and risk of fractures, knowledge of risk factors for osteoporosis and the preventive factors such as physical activity, diet and treatment availability. The study participants were all female students at Al-Imam Mohammed ibn Saud Islamic University which was 39774 until the academic year of 2017-2018. Results: Participants knowledge about osteoporosis found 79.4% of the 1012 subjects questioned did not have sufficient amount of knowledge about the disease. Our study explored the possible impact of sufficient knowledge and awareness in preventing the occurrence of osteoporosis in young Saudi female college students, using OKAT with cut-off score less than 60%. Conclusion: According to OKAT, young Saudi female college students do not have sufficient amount of knowledge about osteoporosis, which plays a major role in preventing the disease, therefore, an effort should be made to promote health awareness regarding osteoporosis.