Osteoporosis in Community-dwelling Elderly People: Prevalence and Associated Prevention and Control Strategies in General Practice

Background The continuous increase in numbers of people with osteoporosis, and individuals with low bone mass in the community, brings severe challenges to the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in the community. Objective To investigate the basic conditions related to the prevention and control of osteoporosis in communities, including the basic process and cost of enrolling the target population, and the prevalence and risk factors of osteoporosis in the target population, so as to provide evidence for supporting a general practice team to develop precise osteoporosis prevention and control measures. Methods This study selected 322 cases (including outpatient patients and older physical examinees) from Waitan Community Health Service Center, Shanghai from May to August 2021. General information, bone density test results and risk factors of osteoporosis were collected by a questionnaire. Results The cost of enrolling the target population in the community was 57.344 yuan per person. Among the 322 cases, 27 (8.4%) had normal bone mass, 157 (48.8%) had low bone mass, and 138 (42.8%) had osteoporosis. The prevalence of bone density abnormalities (low bone mass and osteoporosis) reached 91.6%. There were statistically significant differences in gender ratio and BMI among normal bone mass, low bone mass and osteoporosis groups (P