Knowledge, attitudes and awareness of individuals on osteoporosis aged 50 and over who applied to the family health center in denizli city center

Osteoporosis is described as a systemic and metabolic bone disease characterized by low bone mass, deterioration in the microarchitecture of bone tissue, and as a result, an increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture. That has become a global health problem of increasing importance with the increase in life expectancy in the world. It is estimated that more than 200 million have osteoporosis today. This study is a cross-sectional-descriptive study, which was conducted with 403 participants aged 50 and over, who applied to 4 FHCs determined in Denizli city center between July and November 2022. The questionnaire form was applied to the participants face to face, which was created as a result of the literature review. 9 questions of the questionnaire consist of osteoporosis information questions. 22.1% of women, 3.3% of men, 24.3% of postmenopausal women were diagnosed with osteoporosis, 87.8% of them heard about osteoporosis, women heard about osteoporosis more, the main source of information about osteoporosis was family or friends. The family health center was ranked 4th as a source of information. Only 1 participant reported being referred for DEXA by their family physician. The mean osteoporosis knowledge score of the participants was calculated as 5.78 ± 2. It has been observed that the level of knowledge decreases as the age increases, and the level of knowledge increases as the level of education increases. It can be recommended that participants be informed about osteoporosis at an early age and that primary care and family physicians take a more active role in osteoporosis management.