Abstract
BackgroundOsteoporosis is a potential metabolic complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Therefore, patients with DM should have adequate osteoporosis knowledge and beliefs in order to get engaged in osteoporosis preventive behaviors. The objective of this study was to assess osteoporosis knowledge and beliefs among diabetic patients.MethodsThis was a cross sectional study carried out at Al-Makhfiah governmental primary healthcare unit in Nablus, Palestine from September 2016 to December 2016. The tools used to assess knowledge and beliefs were Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale (OHBS) and the Osteoporosis Knowledge Test (OKT) respectively.ResultsThree hundred diabetic patients were interviewed regarding their knowledge and belief about osteoporosis. The study sample included 192 (64.0%) females. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the participants was 58.5 ± 9.3 years. Regarding co-morbidities, 229 (76.3%) had at least one co-morbidity other than DM. The majority of participants incorrectly answered 19 out of 32 questions of OKT scale. The mean OKT score was 13.5 ± 4.2 indicating poor osteoporosis – related knowledge. Females had significantly higher nutrition (p = 0.037), exercise (p = 0.043), and OKT score (p = 0.021) than males. Regarding OHBS, female participants had significantly higher belief score of susceptibility (p < 0.01) and seriousness (p < 0.01) of osteoporosis compared to males.ConclusionsDiabetic patients had poor osteoporosis knowledge and moderate perception of susceptibility and seriousness of osteoporosis. These results require implementation of awareness programs among DM patients to increase their practices regarding preventive measures of osteoporosis such as calcium intake and exercise.
Highlights
Osteoporosis is a potential metabolic complication of diabetes mellitus (DM)
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic medical illness that requires careful and continuous adherence to and implementation of daily treatment regimens, dietary restrictions, and change in life style that can be demanding and difficult to implement by some diabetic patients [1]
A recent meta-analysis study demonstrated that individuals with type I DM have 5.76 relative-risk of hip fracture compared with non-DM individuals while people with type II DM have 1.34 relative-risk of hip fractures compared with non-DM people [11]
Summary
Osteoporosis is a potential metabolic complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). The objective of this study was to assess osteoporosis knowledge and beliefs among diabetic patients. Long term microvascular and macrovscular complications of DM are well known and include nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke [4]. Another serious, but an overlooked, complication of DM is bone diseases or decreased skeletal integrity and strength [5,6,7,8].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
