HEALTH BELIEFS AND OSTEOPOROSIS PREVENTION BY MENOPAUSAL WOMEN.
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 146
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Public Health.
Description: Little is known about women's efforts to prevent osteoporosis, a disease responsible for significant morbidity in the U.S. and declines in women's quality of later life. Few studies have examined psychosocial factors associated with this disease. The Health Belief Model is an organizing framework developed to explain the determinants of voluntary health-related actions. It has not been used to evaluate the motivations for preventing osteoporosis, nor applied to menopause when women's risk of osteoporosis increases. Examination of motivators of preventive practice may assist in delineating preventive health strategies for midlife women. Validating the applicability of the Health Belief Model to osteoporosis and menopausal women, may support the model as a theoretical entity, and contribute to understanding health behavior.

The purpose of the study was to identify factors associated with the prevention of osteoporosis in perimenopausal women. The research question was: What is the relationship among perceived vulnerability to osteoporosis, perceived seriousness of the disease, perceived benefits of and barriers to preventive practices in perimenopausal women?.

A cross-sectional design in which 300 perimenopausal women were mailed questionnaires, was utilized. The questionnaire consisted of items on demographic status, beliefs about osteoporosis, amount of osteoporosis prevention activities including a dietary recall used to estimate calcium consumption, and knowledge about the disease.

A response rate of 50% (N = 150) was obtained, and data were analyzed for the 130 subjects who completed questionnaires. Beliefs about the seriousness of osteoporosis and the barriers to prevention were negatively correlated with preventive practice. Women regarded prevention practices as beneficial and "benefits" was associated with prevention but not calcium intake. Perceived susceptibility was not related to prevention. Menopausal status was related to the dependent variable suggesting its possible role as a cue to preventive action. In regression analysis, "barriers" was the best predictor (R$\sp2$ = 0.23) of preventive behavior, and calcium intake (R$\sp2$ = 0.16), suggesting that strategies which address the barriers to preventing osteoporosis may be most effective in increasing women's preventive behavior.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-06, Section: B, page: 2123.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1988.

School code: 0227.