Validation of the male osteoporosis knowledge quiz

Osteoporosis research and education campaigns have historically focused more on women than men with low bone mass. Of the knowledge tests available none include questions regarding risk factors affecting men. This study seeks to validate the six-item Men's Osteoporosis Knowledge Quiz (MOKQ), which was designed to be used in conjunction with the previously validated Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz (FOQ) developed by Ailinger and colleagues. A survey packet including the FOQ and MOKQ was distributed to 400 randomly selected men age 60+ years. The final sample consisted of 242 (60.5%) men, average age 83.2 years (sd=5.7), married (71.4%) and Caucasian (96.3%). Men were found to have little knowledge about osteoporosis and their risk factors, scoring a mean of 10.4 (52.0% correct) on the FOQ and a mean of 2.39 (or: 2.4) (39.8%) on the MOKQ. Convergent validity was examined by correlating the scores achieved on the FOQ and MOKQ, with the resultant Pearson correlation coefficient found to be .755 (p>.001). The computed Cronbach's alpha (.72) indicated adequate reliability. These preliminary findings suggest that the MOKQ may be a valid and reliable measure of men's knowledge of osteoporosis when used in conjunction with the FOQ. The low scores achieved by the participating men on both the MOKQ and FOQ indicate a need for education, screening and referral interventions and corollary health services policies specifically targeted at men and their risk factors for osteoporosis. Future research should include a focus on validating the MOKQ in a larger sample of a more diverse population.