The Prevalence of Osteoporosis among Antenatal Clinic Attendees in a Rural Mission Hospital in South‑East Nigeria

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a global public health problem characterizedby reduction of bone mineral density (BMD). This study aimed to assess theprevalence of osteoporosis among antenatal clinic attendees in a rural Southeasternhospital. Material and Methods: This was a cross‑sectional study of bookingAntenatal Clinic Attendees at Mile 4 Catholic Hospital, Abakaliki, between October2014 and February 2015. The study participants were selected through systematicrandom sampling. The BMD of the right calcaneal bone of the participants wasmeasured using the OsteoPro, a Quantitative ultrasound scan. Results: A total of327 eligible women participated in the study. The average age of the participantswas 29 ± 4.5 years. The average parity was 2 ± 1.6 childbirths. The mean T‑scorewas −1.19 ± 4.9. Osteoporosis and osteopenia were recorded in 119 women (36.4%)and 56 women (17.1%), respectively, whereas 152 (46.5%) were within normalrange. History of regular exercise by the respondents is statistically significant onthe reduction of osteopenia and osteoporosis (P ≤ 0.05). The history of ever use ofcalcium supplementation by the study participants in the index pregnancy did nothave any significant effect on the reduction of osteoporosis. Conclusion: There isa high prevalence of osteoporosis among pregnant women in Southeast Nigeria.This may be due to the predominant poor adherence and low dose of calciumsupplementation among pregnant women in this environment. Therefore, there is anurgent need for sensitization on this public health problem.Keywords: Antenatal women, calcaneal bone, osteopenia, osteoporosis, osteoPro,Southeast Nigeri