NOF, HealthyWomen and Radius health recently launched a new education campaign called “Fractured Truth”. This initiative is intended to help postmenopausal women understand the connection between fractures and osteoporosis, the critical need to be proactive about their bone health, and to recognize the myths that are often associated with this disease.
As part of the initiative, we conducted a survey of 1,012 postmenopausal women in the U.S. ages 50 and older, including those who are diagnosed with osteoporosis and those who are not, to measure their osteoporosis knowledge. Eighty-two percent of women surveyed did not identify a postmenopausal fracture as increasing their risk of osteoporosis.
Other key insights include:
- Approximately 96 percent of women (not diagnosed with osteoporosis) who experienced a fracture were not told by their healthcare provider that it could be linked to the disease.
- About 3 in 10 incorrectly believe that “drinking milk or taking calcium supplements alone will prevent osteoporosis fractures/breaks.”
- About one-quarter incorrectly believe there is no way to build new bone at their age.
- About 3 in 10 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis mistakenly believe the risk of a fracture/break cannot be reduced in women their age.
For more information, please visit the campaign website and the Fractured Truth Facebook community. To learn more about our key survey findings please download the infographic here.