Young women unaware of bone disease risks
Many young women are unaware of the dangers of osteoporosis, leaving them vulnerable to crippling bone disease. These sobering findings were presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in Denver.
Mark J. Kasper, Ed.D., FACSM was lead researcher for a survey of 302 college females enrolled in an elective physical activity course. While almost all (97.7 percent) had heard of osteoporosis, only 52.9 percent were able to correctly identify eight or more out of 14 risk factors listed and only 30.8 percent named all three major risk factors: low calcium intake, a sedentary lifestyle, and infrequent menstruation. The National Osteoporosis Foundation defines osteoporosis as “a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility to fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist.”
Kasper pointed out that 39.7 percent of respondents believed they were unlikely to develop osteoporosis. “Despite a similar lifetime risk of developing osteoporosis, heart disease or breast cancer, there is a lack of knowledge and a high degree of complacency concerning osteoporosis in young women,” said Kasper. “This data mirrors our previous research suggesting that educational interventions targeting young women either have not been implemented or have been ineffective.”
The coeds in Kasper’s study that osteoporosis is a serious illness, but less serious than heart disease or breast cancer. Blacks were less likely than whites to identify risk factors and to believe that they would develop osteoporosis. Respondents ranged from 18 to 21 years of age.
Exercise Aids Bone Health
Physical activity is the only known intervention that can potentially increase bone mass and strength in the early years of life and reduce the risk of falling in older populations, according to a Position Stand from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The official ACSM pronouncement, published in the November 2004 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, encourages the adoption of specific exercise prescriptions designed for various ages to best capitalize on the chances to accrue and preserve bone throughout the various stages of life.
The paper cites worldwide predictions that the number of hip fractures will double by the year 2025, with a mortality rate of 15 to 20 percent within the first year following such a fracture for elderly individuals, as reasons to encourage a better understanding of the types, durations and frequencies of physical activities that help build and maintain bone. These include high-intensity, high-impact activities for children to build bone and moderate-to-high intensity weight-bearing activities for adults to maintain bone mass.
For adults, experts have established these recommendations to help preserve bone:
Mode – weight-bearing endurance activities such as tennis and jogging, activities that involve jumping, and resistance exercise (weight lifting)
Intensity – moderate to high
Frequency – weight-bearing activities 3 to 5 times per week, resistance exercise 2 to 3 times per week
Duration – 30 to 60 minutes a day combined
For children, especially in the years surrounding the onset of puberty, experts recommend the following activities to help build bone:
Mode – impact activities such as gymnastics and jumping activities combined with moderate resistance training
Intensity – high, but with appropriate weights for resistance training (no more than 60 percent of the maximum amount a person can lift one time)
Frequency – at least three days per week
Duration – 10 to 20 minutes with multiple sessions within the same day potentially being more effective
The Position Stand also explicitly mentions the importance of bone health for men, noting that the predicted increase in osteoporotic falls and fractures in men in the coming decades is even greater than in women. The authors also encourage weight-bearing physical activities for even the most frail and elderly, provided they can still perform them safely.
