Strong bones for a healthy life: Study design for development of a community osteoporosis prevention program in a chiropractic educational clinic

Objective:  Osteoporosis is a bone disease that results in low bone mass leading to skeletal fragility. This fragility results in over 1.5 million fractures a year in the United States.  The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has recommended that osteoporosis become a national public health priority.  Additionally, Healthy People 2020 established a target goal to decrease the occurrence of osteoporosis by 10%.  It has been demonstrated that older adults can decrease their risk of osteoporosis with physical activity and dietary strategies. Community health promotion educational programs have been demonstrated to improve risk-reducing behaviors in participants. 

Study Design:  The proposed program is modeled after an intervention described by Pearson et al. in 2005.  A fitness assessment and a survey of exercise and nutrition behaviors will be administered.  The intervention will consist of six educational lectures over a six-week period.  The original assessments will be re-administered at the end to evaluate the impact of the program on risk-behaviors for osteoporosis.

Population:  The target community for this intervention sample is females over 50.   Female patients over 50 make up a significant portion of this chiropractic educational clinic’s patient base, providing an adequate number from which to solicit the goal of 25 participants.  

Conclusion:  Community health promotion programs have been shown to improve risk-reducing behaviors. Chiropractic clinics are well positioned to institute these types of programs, thus contributing to improved public health.