Experiences of striving to maintain daily life among women with osteoporosis

ABSTRACT

In order to describe how women with osteoporosis strive to maintain daily life we interviewed 11 women using a reflective lifeworld approach based on phenomenological analysis. Osteoporosis is a major public health concern in the Western world, and is predominant among women. Our findings indicated that meanings of striving to maintain daily life imply a belief in oneself and one’s own capabilities. The women expressly speak out for themselves as a way of finding reconciliation without giving in to the illness. Women with osteoporosis expect to gain support early in the course of their illness. They require advice on how to manage the disease as well as support for striving to maintain daily living. Therefore, it is crucial that the women not only are given information about the disease. Equally important is to establish continuity in healthcare encounters, and that health care offers support founded in the women’s lived experiences with focus on their capacities.

KEYWORDS:

• Nursing
• osteoporosis
• phenomenology reflective lifeworld research
• women’s health

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the women who kindly volunteered to participate in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes on contributors

Carina Nilsson

Carina Nilsson, PhD, RN, Assistant professor, Division of Nursing, Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden.

Birgitta Lindberg

Birgitta Lindberg, PhD, RN, Associated professor, Division of Nursing, Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå Sweden.

Päivi Juuso

Päivi Juuso, PhD, RN, Assistant professor, Division of Nursing, Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå Sweden.

Malin Olsson

Malin Olsson, PhD, RN, Associate professor, Division of Nursing, Department of Health Sciences, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden.