Ediriweera de Silva Risni Erandie, Haniffa Muhamed Ruvaiz, Gunathillaka Kavinda Dimuthu Kumara, Atukorala Inoshi, Fernando Endahandige Deepthi Prasadth Samantha, Perera Wagawatta Liyanage Sugandhika Padmini
Family Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka.
Behavioural Sciences Stream, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka.
Asia Pac Fam Med. 2014 Dec 20;13(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s12930-014-0015-y. eCollection 2014.
Osteoporosis is a significant problem in rapidly ageing populations in Asian regions. It causes a significant personal and societal impact and increases the burden on health care services.
Aim of this study is to determine the knowledge, beliefs and practices regarding osteoporosis among young females entering medical schools in Sri Lanka.
This is a descriptive cross sectional study conducted amongst 186 female medical school entrants of the Faculties of Medicine, Universities of Colombo and Kelaniya from September to December 2010. A self administered questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, beliefs and practices on osteoporosis, including a food frequency chart to assess the calcium intake.
The mean age was 20.7 +/- 2.1 years. Majority of the participants (51.6%, n = 96) had an average score (40-60) on the knowledge test, while 40.8% (n = 76) had a poor score (<40). However, in depth knowledge on risk factors, and protective factors was lacking. Perceived susceptibility for osteoporosis was low with only 13.9% (n = 26) of women agreeing that their chances of getting osteoporosis are high. The mean calcium intake was 528 mg/day and only 18.8% (n = 35) of the participants achieved the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) for Calcium. Exercise was grossly inadequate in the majority and only 13.6%( n = 23) engaged in the recommended exercises. Only 3.8% (n =7) of the participants currently engaged in specific behaviours to improve bone health while 10.8% (n = 20) had thought of routinely engaging in such behaviours.
Although majority of participants had a modest level of knowledge on osteoporosis, there were gaps in their knowledge in relation to risk factors, protective factors and on the insidious nature of osteoporosis. Perceived susceptibility for osteoporosis was low. Practices towards preventing Osteoporosis were inadequate.
骨质疏松症在亚洲地区人口快速老龄化过程中是一个重大问题。它会对个人和社会造成重大影响，并增加医疗保健服务的负担。
本研究旨在确定斯里兰卡医学院年轻女性对骨质疏松症的认知、信念和行为。
这是一项描述性横断面研究，于2010年9月至12月对科伦坡大学和凯拉尼亚大学医学院的186名女性医学院入学申请者进行。使用一份自填式问卷来评估对骨质疏松症的认知、信念和行为，包括一份食物频率图表以评估钙摄入量。
平均年龄为20.7±2.1岁。大多数参与者（51.6%，n = 96）在知识测试中的平均得分（40 - 60），而40.8%（n = 76）得分较低（<40）。然而，她们缺乏关于风险因素和保护因素的深入知识。对骨质疏松症的感知易感性较低，只有13.9%（n = 26）的女性认为自己患骨质疏松症的几率很高。平均钙摄入量为528毫克/天，只有18.8%（n = 35）的参与者达到了钙的推荐每日摄入量（RDA）。大多数人的运动量严重不足，只有13.6%（n = 23）进行了推荐的运动。目前只有3.8%（n = 7）的参与者采取了特定行为来改善骨骼健康，而10.8%（n = 20）曾考虑定期采取此类行为。
尽管大多数参与者对骨质疏松症有一定程度 的了解，但她们在风险因素、保护因素以及骨质疏松症的隐匿性方面的知识存在差距。对骨质疏松症的感知易感性较低。预防骨质疏松症的行为不足。
