Clinical value of self-assessment risk of osteoporosis in Chinese.

Background: Early detection of high-risk population for osteoporosis is the key to preventing this disease.

Methodology: In this cross-sectional study a continuous sample of 270 women and 89 men (age: 20-90 years) was divided into four groups by age (≤ 55 or > 55 years) and sex. Participants completed the IOF test. Low-, medium-, and high-risk grades were defined by an OSTA index of greater than -1, -1 to -4, and less than -4, respectively.

Results: Most participants were categorized in the low-risk group (240 people, 66.9%), followed by the medium-risk (102 people, 28.4%) and high-risk groups (17 people, 4.7%). Compared to women, men in both age groups had significantly higher OSTA index and greater numbers of positive answers on the IOF test. 64.3% individuals were susceptible to osteoporosis risk (≥1 positive answers on the IOF test). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that family history of fragility fracture (OR: 0.503, 95% CI: 0.26-0.97), height loss exceeding 3 cm (OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.55-4.05), and earlier menopause (OR: 0.434, 95% CI: 0.19-0.97) were associated with higher risk grades.

Conclusions: Combined use of the OSTA and IOF test is a simple and effective method for assessing the risk of osteoporosis.