title: A Suggested Prototype for Assessing Bone Health.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Osteoporosis is becoming a health concern worldwide. Considering the fact that prevention plays an important role in reducing the burden of this silent disease and in view of the limited resources available, many countries have adopted certain programs to fight osteoporosis through shifting their attention towards at-risk individuals. The Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (IMOS) is one of these programs. The program aims to assess bone health and the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in different parts of Iran with various altitudes, latitudes and lifestyle habits in a way that the results could be generalized to the country.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present article presents the protocol used in the third phase of the study. It was designed based on the experiences gathered in the previous phases to overcome the shortcomings particularly subject loss. The questionnaire applied in this study was developed based on a thorough literature review of the risk factors and secondary causes of osteoporosis and was approved by an expert panel.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While the majority of the existing studies aim to study a certain aspect of osteoporosis, the present protocol provides the information needed for policy makers and researchers to study different osteoporosis-related issues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors believe the protocol, to be implemented with small modifications, can help policymakers in different parts of the world, particularly developing countries, gather accurate information on different aspects of bone health at the national level.
authors.affiliation: Osteoporosis Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Department of Health Sciences Education Development, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical School, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Abbasali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keshtkar
authors.affiliation: Osteoporosis Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Center for Microsystems Technology, Imec and Ghent University, Gent-Zwijnaarde, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Khashayar
authors.affiliation: Osteoporosis Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mohammadi
authors.affiliation: Non-communicable Disease Center, Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Koroush
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Etemad
authors.affiliation: Non-communicable Disease Center, Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahboubeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dini
authors.affiliation: Osteoporosis Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aghaei Meybodi
authors.affiliation: Osteoporosis Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Razi
authors.affiliation: Osteoporosis Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Endocrinology Department, Baghiatollah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramezani
authors.affiliation: Sannandaj University of Medical Sciences, Sannadaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.affiliation: Golestan Research Center of Psychiatry, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
authors.forename: Sharareh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saghafi
authors.affiliation: Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sadigh
authors.affiliation: Sannandaj University of Medical Sciences, Sannadaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Siamak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Derakhshan
authors.affiliation: Osteoporosis Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bayegi
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jouyandeh
authors.affiliation: Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hajian
authors.affiliation: Sannandaj University of Medical Sciences, Sannadaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karimi
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. emrc@tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Bagher
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Larijani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015519:Bone Density; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult