The Oslo Health Study: Is bone mineral density higher in affluent areas?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Based on previously reported differences in fracture incidence in the socioeconomic less affluent Oslo East compared to the more privileged West, our aim was to study bone mineral density (BMD) in the same socioeconomic areas in Oslo. We also wanted to study whether possible associations were explained by socio-demographic factors, level of education or lifestyle factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Distal forearm BMD was measured in random samples of the participants in The Oslo Health Study by single energy x-ray absorptiometry (SXA). 578 men and 702 women born in Norway in the age-groups 40/45, 60 and 75 years were included in the analyses. Socioeconomic regions, based on a social index dividing Oslo in two regions – East and West, were used.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Age-adjusted mean BMD in women living in the less affluent Eastern region was 0.405 g/cm²and significantly lower than in West where BMD was 0.419 g/cm². Similarly, the odds ratio of low BMD (Z-score ≤ -1) was 1.87 (95% CI: 1.22–2.87) in women in Oslo East compared to West. The same tendency, although not statistically significant, was also present in men. Multivariate analysis adjusted for education, marital status, body mass index, physical inactivity, use of alcohol and smoking, and in women also use of post-menopausal hormone therapy and early onset of menopause, did hardly change the association. Additional adjustments for employment status, disability pension and physical activity at work for those below the age of retirement, gave similar results.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We found differences in BMD in women between different socioeconomic regions in Oslo that correspond to previously found differences in fracture rates. The association in men was not statistically significant. The differences were not explained by socio-demographic factors, level of education or lifestyle factors.</p

A multicenter, case control study of risk factors for low tibial speed of sound among residents of urban areas in Turkey

Risk factors which have been associated with low bone mass are multifactorial and represent regional differences between and within countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possible risk factors of low tibial speed of sound (tSOS), which determines cortical bone status among residents of urban regions in Ankara, Izmir, and Istanbul, in Turkey, and also to compare groups of different socioeconomic status (SES). A total of 1,026 subjects (63% women and 53% of low socioeconomic status) 40-70 years old were included in the study. Risk factors of osteoporosis were determined using the European Vertebral Osteoporosis Study (EVOS) questionnaire, and the bone status was screened by tSOS. Socioeconomic status was found to be among the major risk factors of low tSOS in our population (odds ratio 0.39, 95% confidence interval 0.26-0.58), besides the well-known risk factors such as age and gender. Therefore, we suggest that SES is an important determinant of cortical bone status. Additionally, our results confirmed the correlation between tSOS and the clinical determinants of bone mass