title: Relationship of knowledge about osteoporosis with education level and life habits.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess possible relationships of knowledge and related factors with educational level and osteoporosis-related life habits.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross sectional study conducted on 268 women (≥ 35 years old) from June 2011 to August 2011. The sample collection was done in outpatient clinics in three university hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. We used a demographic questionnaire containing questions that evaluated osteoporosis-related life habits, including exercise, smoking, intake of calcium and vitamin D supplements and so on. We also used the Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool to measure osteoporosis knowledge of women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean level of knowledge about awareness of osteoporosis, its risk factors and preventive factors were 56, 55 and 22, respectively. The relationship of education level and awareness of osteoporosis, its risk factors and preventive factors was significant, with R = 0.76, R = 0.73 and R = 0.83, respectively (P < 0.001). The relationship of education level and osteoporosis-related life habits was not significant (R = 0.03 and P = 0.56). The relationship of osteoporosis-related life habits and awareness of osteoporosis and its risk factors was significant, with R = 16%, P = 0.006 and R = 16%, P = 0.008, respectively, but the relationship of osteoporosis-related life habits and preventive factors was not significant (R = 0, P = 0.99).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Iranian women with a higher education level have significantly better knowledge about osteoporosis than women with a lower educational level but they do not use this knowledge in their life.
authors.affiliation: Mohammad Reza Etemadifar, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81745, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Etemadifar
authors.forename: Sayed-Mohammadamin
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nourian
authors.forename: Mahboobe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fereidan-Esfahani
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shemshaki
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nourbakhsh
authors.forename: Abolghasem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarezadeh
keywords: Education; Knowledge; Life habits; Osteoporosis; Relationship