title: The evaluation of social awareness of osteoporosis, based on the aimed questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Osteoporosis is the most common osteopathy. Osteoporosis is recognized by World Health Organization as a civilization disease. Still, the awareness of osteoporosis in polish society is unknown. The aim of the study is demographic evaluation of people who are interested in diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. Another aim is to analyze data such as age, sex, fracture occurrence, style of life of people who have phoned to Osteoporosis Information Telephone (OIT).
  
  
  METHODS
  The analysis was based on 501 individuals (446 women, 55 men). The evaluated parameters were age, sex, place of living, education, risk factor awareness, fracture occurrence and the source of knowledge about OIT. The auxiliary questions concerned previous diagnosis and treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 83,3 % of analyzed group the general information about osteoporosis was acquired from newspapers, 13,11% from books and folders, 3 % from radio programmes, 0,4 % from TV, and 0,19% from internet. 23,5% of people acquired information about OIT from magazines including weekly TV programme. 148 people (29,5%) were examined by densitometry. 57 people (11,3%) had a previous history of bone fractures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study helps to evaluate the social awareness of osteoporosis in people interested in this problem. We hope that our results will help to rise social awareness of osteoporosis thanks to new medial advertising companies in the future and will become the base for others analyzes of osteoporosis.
authors.affiliation: Katedra i Klinika Ortopedii i Traumatologii Narzadu Ruchu Akademii Medycznej w Warszawie.
authors.forename: Radosław
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Górski
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chmielewski
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zgoda