Abstract
Research on osteoporosis has been expanding over the recent years with more sensitive diagnostic tools and an increase in awareness and interest in the causes and preventative measures that can be taken to aid individuals in maintaining their bone health. With the vast research that has been completed to identify the risk factors and treatments for osteoporosis, there has also been a driving force to educate the public about this knowledge so that the public can make educated decisions regarding their own health risks. This research study asked two simple questions. The first question investigated the public's knowledge base regarding the risk factors of osteoporosis. This question was answered using a simple survey that required the participants to check the ten correct risk factors that could increase their risk for getting osteoporosis, from twenty items provided. The second portion of the research utilized a survey that asked the participants to provide both demographic information and to answer 12 questions regarding their lifestyles and health history. The 12 questions reflected the same risk factors asked to be identified in the first portion of the study. The hypothesis stated that there would be a correlation between an individual's knowledge about osteoporosis and their actual behaviors. After completing the data analysis, the researcher and author found that there was no significant relationship between knowledge and behaviors (a=-0.06465). This shows that regardless of whether there was a high score on their ability to identify the risk factors for osteoporosis, there was poor carryover in the participant's behavior.
