Osteoporosis knowledge and practice among Malaysian university students

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate osteoporosis knowledge and bone health practices among students of a Malaysian public university.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst university students from a Malaysian's public university. A total of 228 students responded to a self-administered questionnaire consisting of items evaluating knowledge and practices of osteoporosis.

RESULTS: The students showed a moderate level of osteoporosis awareness with a score of 63.3%. Male subjects had higher awareness scores of osteoporosis complications compared to female subjects (p= 0.010). Malay (p= 0.002) and Chinese (p= 0.005) had higher levels of osteoporosis awareness compared to Indian students. Coffee and alcohol intakes were significantly different between the sexes (p= 0.013) and the ethnic groups (p= 0.029). Most of the subjects in our study were minimally active (43.9%).

CONCLUSIONS: The students had a reasonable levels of knowledge about osteoporosis, but their health activities to avoid osteoporosis were insufficient. This illustrates the need for educational programmes to improve students' knowledge and awareness for successful osteoporosis prevention.