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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Suzanne C. Smeltzer, RN, EdD, FAAN and Vanessa Zimmerman, RN, MSN. College of Nursing, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085, 610-519-6828, suzanne.smeltzer@villanova.edu
Providing information about health is necessary but may not be sufficient to influence health behaviors. This study examined what actions, if any, women with a variety of disabilities took after osteopenia or osteoporosis was detected on bone mineral density (BMD) screening. Six months after learning that their BMD values were low, women with a variety of disabilities were contacted by telephone to determine: 1) what actions they and their primary health care providers, 2) women's follow-up with recommendations, and 3) women's reasons for not following up if they took no action.
The mean age of the sample of 114 was 51. Two-thirds used wheelchairs some or all of the time; 4.5% could not transfer independently. About 70% of the women shared the results with their physicians, 85% of whom recommended further testing (60%). Others recommended increasing their calcium intake (20%) or weight-bearing exercise (2.5%). The most appropriate follow-up---further testing, medications to treat osteoporosis, and increased calcium intake---was prescribed for 12.3% of the sample. Several women indicated that their physicians told them not to worry about their decreased BMD or that nothing could be done about it. Many of the women who took no action indicated that they had many other concerns of higher priority to them and did not consider osteoporosis to be a major issue to them.
Efforts are needed to address osteoporosis risk in women in general and specifically women with disabilities and identify strategies effective in increasing women's knowledge about the issues and those of their health care providers.
Funded by a grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Disability, Women's Health
Related Web page: www.nursing.villanova.edu/WomenWithDisabilities
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.