Asian and Asian-American college students' awareness of osteoporosis.
OBJECTIVE
To quantify Asian and Asian-American college students' knowledge of osteoporosis and preventive health behaviors.


METHODS
Sixty-four-question survey


METHODS
University of Minnesota.


METHODS
One hundred sixty-eight male and female Asian and Asian-American students, mean age 21 +/- 3.4 years.


RESULTS
About half of the students consumed 0-1 servings/day of dietary calcium, 42% consumed 2 cups/day or more of caffeinated beverages, 8% smoked cigarettes, and 61% exercised 2.5 hours/week or less. At least 1 serving/day of phytoestrogen was consumed by 80% of the students. Only 11% of students answered at least 75% of osteoporosis fact questions correctly. Women (p = 0.011) and the United States-born participants (p = 0.006) were more apt to change their health behaviors to prevent or treat osteoporosis than men and Asia-born participants. Thirty-eight percent of Hmong participants attributed osteoporosis to fate, chance, or luck whereas Vietnamese participants were more likely to attribute osteoporosis to diet. Most participants (63%) did not know whether their culture objected to estrogen replacement therapy, and 42% said menopause was a natural occurrence for which pharmacologic treatment should not be administered.


CONCLUSIONS
Many Asian and Asian-American college students did not practice health behaviors to prevent osteoporosis, and most lacked sufficient knowledge about the condition.
Nguyen
Diem N
DN
Walgreens Pharmacy, Woodbury, Minnesota, USA.
O'Connell
Mary Beth
MB
D000328:Adult; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D001213:Asian / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires