title: Osteoporosis health beliefs among younger and older men and women.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare osteoporosis health beliefs among different age and gender groups. This study used a cross-sectional design, involved 300 participants that represent both genders and three age groups (18 to 25, 30 to 50, and 50-plus), and assessed osteoporosis health beliefs using the Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale (OHBS). Factor analysis revealed three subscales of OHBS: perceived susceptibility, seriousness of the condition, and health motivation to take preventative actions with acceptable levels of reliability. Significant age and gender differences were observed in the susceptibility scores of the OHBS. The perceived seriousness of the osteoporosis scores was similar across all age and gender groups, as was health motivation. These results highlight the need for osteoporosis awareness programs targeting different aspects of belief perceptions, specifically for younger women and men.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies and Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit, University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. shanthi.johnson@uregina.ca
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shanthi Johnson
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: McLeod
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McLeod
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult