Sociodemographic Variation in Knowledge of Osteoporosis and Locally Available Calcium-Rich Foods Among Urban Women Living on Low Incomes in Davao, Philippines

Abstract

We explored knowledge of osteoporosis and locally available calcium-rich foods among 1,151 urban women in the Philippines and analyzed the cross-sectional associations of their responses to questions about knowledge with their age, educational background, and family income status. In total, 80.3% of the women had heard about osteoporosis; a higher educational background independently predicted this awareness. For knowledge about locally available calcium-rich foods, older age was a positive predictor, whereas higher educational background was a negative predictor. We believe that more emphasis should be placed on locally available foods as part of nutritional education for young urban Filipinos.

The authors appreciate all the women who participated in this survey.