In a written statement, Barbara Sinatra called upon the Subcommittee to help support a national effort to teach children and teenagers about bone health, and for an increased federal focus on medical research. Barbara Sinatra and her husband are dedicated to children's issues and founded the Barbara Sinatra Children's Health Center at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Most girls are falling well short of the mark and will be set up for developing this dreaded disease later in life, unless we intervene now. Eighty-seven percent of teenage girls do not get enough calcium each day. They also do not get enough exercise and are taking up smoking in record numbers, which is toxic to bone.
Bone disease is a major problem for men too, and osteoporosis affects six million men.
Osteoporosis is a bone thinning disease that leads to painful fractures, loss of height and independence, and can even lead to death. One in two women and one in eight men over age 50 will suffer from osteoporosis. Contrary to popular belief, osteoporosis is not an inevitable part of aging, but is a preventable disease for most people. It can strike at any age. With more than 200,000 members, the National Osteoporosis Foundation is the only nonprofit, voluntary health organization dedicated to reducing the widespread prevalence of osteoporosis through programs of research, education, and advocacy.