The relationship of actual height loss with health-seeking behaviors and risk factors in perimenopausal and menopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
To explore whether there is a difference in the perceived height and actual height in the perimenopausal or menopausal woman and discover the difference's effect on osteoporosis health-seeking preventive behaviors and risk factor awareness.


METHODS
Sixty-three perimenopausal and menopausal women, aged 45-70 years, who presented at three Midwestern clinics for their annual physical exam. Data were collected with The Osteoporosis Questionnaire, which included the Osteoporosis Risk Questionnaire, Health-O-Meter height measuring stick, tape measure with inch-rule for arm span measurements, and balance scale for weight.


CONCLUSIONS
There were a significant relationship between actual height loss and osteoporosis risk factors (r = 0.41595, p = 0.0007) and a trend for a relationship between adjusted height loss and osteoporosis risk factors (r = 0.2407, p = 0.0574).


CONCLUSIONS
Due to the great expense of current testing for bone mass density loss, the results of this study may help clinicians more readily identify markers for increased risk of osteoporosis through simple height measurements and osteoporosis risk factor assessments during annual visits.
Twiss
Janice J
JJ
University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, Omaha, NE, USA. jtwiss@unmc.edu
Dillon
Annette L
AL
Konfrst
Jill M
JM
Stauffer
Jenda
J
Paulman
Audrey
A
D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001827:Body Height; D002979:Climacteric / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires