RNOtherRevista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P2026

Factors associated with osteoporosis in older adult women treated at a referral center.

Maria Suzana Marques, Luiza Almeida Perdigão, Thomaz de Figueiredo Braga Colares and 3 others

PMID 42234533

WHAT IT FOUND

In older women referred for bone density testing, being 80 or older and having a BMI below 27 were associated with osteoporosis.

Other habits and conditions were not identified as associated.

Key findings

01Osteoporosis was found in 300 of the 647 women (46.4%).

02In the final model, women aged 80 or older had an odds ratio of 1.60 for osteoporosis, and women with BMI below 27 had an odds ratio of 1.97.

03Osteopenia was found in 239 women (36.9%) and normal bone density in 108 women (16.7%).

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs

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What it does not show

It is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that age or BMI caused osteoporosis. It included only women already referred for bone density testing at the referral center, so it may not apply to all older women. Some education and BMI data were missing from medical records and were omitted from analysis. Lifestyle variables were recorded inconsistently, so lack of association with smoking, alcohol, coffee, or physical inactivity may reflect poor recording. The study did not evaluate treatment, adherence, or prevention.

Declared interests

The paper lists funding from CAPES, CNPq, and FAPEMIG through APQ-01973-21. It does not state a commercial conflict of interest.

The easy way to misread this

Do not conclude that keeping BMI above 27 prevents osteoporosis. This cross-sectional study found associations in women already referred for bone density testing, and it did not test weight gain, exercise, diet, or any clinical intervention.

Read it on PubMed →