A COMPARISON OF VITAMIN D PRACTICE HABITS TO BONE MINERAL DENSITY SCORES

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency and bone metabolism are related. Vitamin D research has shown that greater than 50% of adults over age 65 in the United States (U.S.) are vitamin D deficient and as the aging population rises, osteoporosis and fractures are also rising. The National Osteoporosis Foundation has reported one out of two women over 50 years of age will have an osteoporosis related fracture in their remaining lifetime, however, research has shown that community dwelling adults who have taken vitamin D supplementation, and have higher vitamin D levels, have lower first fracture rates and lower rates for fracture occurring at the hip, wrist and vertebrae. This non-experimental comparison research project delineated the dietary, supplement and sun intake habits of vitamin D in women age 50 plus years. Participants undergoing bone mineral density (BMD) testing for the first time had their BMD results compared to vitamin D practice habits. The theoretical framework for this research was the Health Belief Model. Women coming for first time BMD testing completed a self-administered questionnaire packet given at two clinics in northeastern Wisconsin. Six women met all inclusion criteria. The researcher reviewed the medical record of the participants to obtain BMD scores, verified their medication list and medical diagnoses, including smoking and alcohol use. Data was analyzed using correlation and descriptive statistics. With this small study, no significant findings were obtained regarding vitamin D practice habits and BMD results.