An Investigation of Bone Mineral Density and Bone Mineral Content among Hispanic Women by Lifestyle Factors
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Date
2009-06
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone characterized by reduced bone mass, deterioration of bone structure, increased bone fragility, and an increased risk of fracture. Known factors that can cause an increase in bone loss include, but are not limited to, calcium deficiency and smoking. Most of the data collected regarding osteoporosis has been referenced to non-Hispanic white women. In the past, few studies were targeted on the ethnic propensity for osteoporosis among women. In recent years, osteoporosis has become an increased concern for Hispanic women. Osteoporosis can be measured partly through bone mass or bone density. The chosen method for measuring bone density is with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). This study, using DEXA results recently released as a part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), looks at the relationship between Hispanic women's calcium consumption and smoking with regard to their bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), as measured by DEXA. Data collected from the NHANES database include calcium intake from the dietary intake interview, smoking responses from the smoking questionnaire, and BMC and BMD data from the patient's DEXA scan. From the results we can conclude that smoking decreases BMC and BMD and smoking cessation can help improve BMC and BMD in both Hispanic and overall women in this study. This study also demonstrates that a higher intake of calcium can lead to a higher BMD for women in this study; this finding is more evident in this study for Hispanic women. This study will assist the medical community associated with Hispanic women and allow for more findings for osteoporosis.
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Keywords
Osteoporosis, Hispanic Women, Osteopenia, Bone Mass, Calcium, Smoking