Osteoporosis Preventive Practice Between Veteran and Nonveteran Older Adults: Findings From Patient-Reported Data.
Eun-Shim Nahm, Kathleen Charters, Eunhae Yoo and 2 others
PMID 27851678WHAT IT FOUND
Veteran older adults reported less bone-health knowledge, less exercise, more falls, and less bone-density testing or supplements than nonveterans.
Pain and disability were common barriers, while dietary intake was similar.
Key findings
01Veteran participants reported lower bone-health knowledge, less exercise, and more falls than nonveteran participants.
02Veteran participants were less likely to discuss bone health with a provider and less likely to take calcium or vitamin D supplements.
03Veteran discussion postings more often described amputation, prior fractures, smoking, and pain as barriers to bone-health behaviors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants were recruited from SeniorNet and My HealtheVet, so they may not represent older adults in the general community or all Veterans Health Administration enrollees. Discussion postings were voluntary and came only from intervention participants, so they may reflect only people who chose to post. The postings were tied to Bone Power learning modules, not to the comparison question of this secondary analysis. The data lacked objective measures such as bone mineral density test frequency and measured physical activity. The SeniorNet and My HealtheVet groups differed in age, sex, education, race, and chronic conditions, so differences may not be due to veteran status alone. The paper analysed baseline survey responses and discussion postings, not outcomes after a control group comparison, so it does not show that the Bone Power program works.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 32% and 22% reports of changing behavior as proof the program worked. These were voluntary postings from intervention participants, and the paper did not compare them with a control group.