Correlates of osteoporosis among Jewish and Arab women aged 45-74 in Israel: national women's health interview survey.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence and correlates of osteoporosis among middle-aged and elderly Jewish and Arab women in Israel.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study on a random sample of Israeli women, carried out through telephone interviews. Questions included physician-diagnosed osteoporosis, demographic and lifestyle variables, medical conditions, and present and past use of estrogen-containing medications. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from reported height and weight.


METHODS
A national population-based survey conducted from March through August 1998.


METHODS
A national random sample of 888 women aged 45-74.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of self-reported osteoporosis was estimated at 13.7%. The rates increased abruptly from about 5.8% at ages 45-59 to 19.6% at ages 60-64, and reached 27.7% at ages 70-74. Between ages 45-59, the rates were higher among Arab women, whereas in the older group they were higher among Jewish women. There was a marked increase following menopause. After adjustment for potential confounders, at ages 45-59, osteoporosis was positively associated with menopause and BMI, whereas at ages 60-74, it was positively associated with age and family history of osteoporosis, and negatively associated with BMI.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of physician-diagnosed osteoporosis in Israel among women aged 45-74 is estimated to be 13.7%, which is similar to that for the United States. The association of osteoporosis with risk factors is age-dependent, and in particular, age-BMI interaction on osteoporosis requires further investigation.
Nitzan-Kaluski
Dorit
D
Israel Center for Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Tel Hashomer, Israel. tropic@netvision.net.il
Chinich
Ayelet
A
Ifrah
Anneke
A
Merom
Dafna
D
Green
Manfred S
MS
D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007585:Jews / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors