title: Poor health, but not fracture and fall risk, is associated with nonattendance at bone mineral density screening.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bone mineral density screening identifies women at risk for fracture. Nonattendance at screening is associated with subsequent hip fracture. Determining reasons for nonattendance may help in the designing of methods to improve screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  We hypothesize that nonattenders may report poorer health and have a higher risk of fracture and fall. Women were randomly chosen from a list of people scheduled for a screening dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. We used a validated telephone survey to calculate osteoporosis, fracture, and fall risk scores. Women answered questions about their health and medical conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 263 women contacted, 226 (86%) women agreed to participate; 145 participants completed a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan and 81 women failed to attend. Women who did not attend screening were more likely to report a serious medical condition (59.3% vs 46.9%; P = 0.09). Nonattenders were more likely to report their health as fair or poor (51.9% vs 33.8%; P = 0.01). There were no differences for osteoporosis, fall, and fracture risks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Failure to attend osteoporosis screening is associated with significant health problems and poor self-rated health. Improving point of care access may increase the amount of osteoporosis screening among women with multiple comorbidities.
authors: Department of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the Department of Medicine, VA Medical Center at Memphis, and the University of Memphis Mid-South Survey Research Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors: Kathryn M
authors: KM
authors: Ryder
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Bush
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Womack
authors: Wayne
authors: W
authors: Pitts
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors