Healthy Bones Australia is helping promote this year’s World Osteoporosis Day - 20 October – by encouraging the community and health professionals to Step Up for Bone Health.
The aim is to encourage action for a bone health lifestyle by focusing on:
- Regular weight bearing and muscle strengthening exercise
- Nutritious bone healthy diet
- No smoking and avoiding excessive alcohol intake
Healthy Bones Australia Chief Executive Officer Greg Lyubomirsky said: “We encourage Australians to take simple steps to focus on their bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Both in Australia and across the Asia Pacific Region we need a greater focus on bone health as part of general health.”
World Osteoporosis Day is an international awareness day promoted by osteoporosis patient societies around the world in partnership with the International Osteoporosis Foundation.
In Australia, poor bone health is estimated to result in more than 183,000 fractures in 2022. The annual cost of the disease is $3.84 billion, with up to 67 per cent of the cost relating to unwanted fractures.
“We are encouraging health professionals to support our efforts by raising the issue of bone health with consumers and encouraging older Australians to be proactive and protect their bone health,” Mr Lyubomirsky said.
Healthy Bones Australia’s online self-assessment tool, called Know Your Bones, can help consumers understand their risk.
“Pharmacists can recommend this tool to consumers with potential risk factors for osteoporosis. This could include consumers over 50 years on certain medications which can impact bone health or those with a fracture from a minor incident.”
The Know Your Bones program was developed in partnership with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and can be accessed at www.knowyourbones.org.au. The self-assessment has been completed by nearly 95,000 Australians.
