ARIZONA PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION
03-1
OSTEOPOROSIS PREVENTION
WHEREAS, osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue which affects women, men and children of all races and ethnicities, and
WHEREAS, three out of four U.S. women aged 65 years and older have osteoporosis or low bone mass, and in 20002, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended routine osteoporosis screening for all women in this age group, YET, fewer than 1 in 10 received a Medicare-reimbursed bone density test in 200 I, and
WHEREAS, over 390,000 Arizona residents were estimated to have osteoporosis or low bone mass in 2002, and prevalence is expected to grow to over 715,000 by 2015, and
WHEREAS, height loss and back pain may be caused by spine fractures, and a postmenopausal woman with a spine fracture has a 1 in 5 chance of another spine fracture within a year, and
WHEREAS, osteoporosis was estimated to cause 18,994 fractures in Arizona in 2000, at a cost of over $236 million, and
WHEREAS, the number of osteoporotic fractures is projected to grow to over 35,522 in 2025, at a cost of over $438 million, and
WHEREAS, there are current efforts in Arizona to educate women and health professionals that osteoporosis is a preventable and treatable disease, and fast intervention is needed to prevent fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE Arizona Public Health Association supports local and state efforts to raise awareness of osteoporosis prevention activities and help residents to maximize osteoporosis management by staying active, knowing their risk, and understanding treatment options that help prevent fractures.
Presented at the Annual Meeting, September 25, 2003 Action
139~2003_(1)Osteoporosis prevention (prevenative health, healthcare)