Assessment of Osteoporosis Knowledge Among Warfarin Users and Healthy People in the State of Penang

Background: Knowledge of osteoporosis plays an important role in developing attitudes toward the disease which in turn affects health care behaviors of both public and patients. Objective: Despite the increasing incidence of osteoporosis in Malaysia, many people still have limited information about the risks of this disease. This information includes knowledge of physical activity, adequate calcium intake, and adequate vitamin D intake. This study aims to assess the osteoporosis knowledge using osteoporosis knowledge test and to find the associated factors influencing osteoporosis knowledge of the users and nonusers of warfarin. Methods: A case-control study was used to assess the osteoporosis knowledge from the study sample. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: A total of 140 controls and 130 patients using warfarin were included in this study. This study indicated that most of the participants (84.2%) have a low score of knowledge of osteoporosis, and only 15.8% of the study sample was found to have a high score of knowledge. Patients using warfarin were more knowledgeable about osteoporosis compared with controls. Conclusions: The findings of this study revealed that most people have inadequate knowledge about osteoporosis. The health care professionals should play an active role in educating their patients and community about the risk factors of osteoporosis.