Minority Women's Health

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Osteoporosis

Minority Women's Health > Hispanic Americans/Latinas > Health Topics > Osteoporosis

• Resources in English
• Recursos en español

Osteoporosis is a disease that thins and weakens the bones, making it easier for bones to break. There are no symptoms. In fact, many people don't know they have osteoporosis until they break a bone.

Hispanic/Latina women, like all women, are at risk for osteoporosis. Getting enough calcium can help prevent osteoporosis. But Hispanic/Latina women of all ages tend to take in less than the recommended amount of calcium. Hip fracture rates are increasing most rapidly in Hispanic/Latina women.

There are some things you can do to help prevent osteoporosis:

• Get enough calcium each day. Bones are made of calcium. The best way to prevent osteoporosis is to get enough calcium each day for strong bones throughout life. You can get it through foods or calcium pills or both. You can get calcium pills at the drug store. Talk with your doctor or nurse before taking calcium pills to see which kind is best for you.

• Get enough vitamin D each day. It is also important to get enough vitamin D, which helps your body take in calcium. You can get vitamin D through sunlight and foods like milk. You need 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight to the hands, arms, and face, two to three times a week to get enough vitamin D. The amount of time depends on how sensitive your skin is to light, use of sunscreen, skin color, and pollution. You can also get vitamin D by eating foods rich in vitamin D or in your vitamin pills. It’s measured in international units (IU).

• Get moving. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, most days of the week. The best activities for preventing osteoporosis are walking, jogging, stair-climbing, dancing, and lifting weights.
• Don't smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. For help along the way, check out our Quitting Smoking section.
• If you drink alcohol, have no more than one drink per day

Talk to your doctor if you have a family history of osteoporosis or other risk factors that may put you at increased risk for the disease. All women over 65 should have a bone mineral density test.

Resources in English

Publications

1.   For People with Osteoporosis: How to Find a Doctor - This publication contains information on how to find the right doctor to help treat you. It also includes information on different types of specialists who treat osteoporosis.

   http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/find_doctor.asp

2.   Frequently Asked Questions - Osteoporosis - This osteoporosis fact sheet contains information on risk factors, prevention tips, and treatment options. It also includes information on osteoporosis in men and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

   http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/osteopor.htm

3.   Osteoporosis and Hispanic Women - This consumer health information fact sheet provides information about osteoporosis as it relates specifically to Hispanic (Latino) women. It discusses risk factors, prevention, and treatment options.

   http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Background/hispanic_women.asp...

4.   Osteoporosis: The Bone Thief - This publication explains what osteoporosis is and who is at risk. It also provides information on prevention and treatment options.

   http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/osteo.asp

5. A Warning between Healthy Bones and Osteoporosis (Copyright © Mayo Clinic) - Your bone health is determined in part by a bone mineral density (BMD) measure. If the BMD indicates osteopenia, you'll want to talk to your doctor about ways to halt bone loss before it progresses to osteoporosis. This article gives you information about what to do once you detect the warning signs of osteoporosis.

   http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2005-mchi/2737.html

6. La menopausia y la osteoporosis (Copyright © Cleveland Clinic) - Estas hojas contienen una lista de preguntas y respuestas acerca la osteoporosis. Información sobre los tratamientos, la terapia hormonal, el ejercicio, y los suplementos.

   http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/sHIC/html/s10091.asp

7. One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test (Copyright © IOF) - Are you among the one in three women, and the one in five men who will be affected by osteoporosis in their lifetimes? This tool provides a risk test for you to find out what your risk for osteoporosis is.

   http://www.iofbonehealth.org/patients-public/risk-test.html

8. Osteoporosis Risk Questionaire (Copyright © Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention) - This interactive tool estimates your risk of breaking a bone due to osteoporosis and provides personalized tips for prevention. Anyone can use it, but it’s most accurate for people who haven’t had significant bone loss. If you’ve already had problems with bone loss, be sure to talk to your doctor about your risk.

   http://www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu/hccpquiz.pl?lang=english&func=home&quiz=osteoporosis...

9. Prevention: Who's at Risk? (Copyright © NOF) - There are many factors that determine who will develop osteoporosis. The first step in prevention is to determine whether you are at risk, since not everyone is. This publication outlines what those risk factors are.

   http://www.nof.org/prevention/risk.htm

Organizations

1.   Office of Minority and Women's Health, CDC, HHS
2.   Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center, NIAMS, NIH, HHS
3. Arthritis Foundation
4. The Hormone Foundation

= Indicates Federal Resources

Recursos en español

Publicaciones

1.   Haga ejercicio para tener huesos sanos - Este folleto informa de la importancia del ejercicio para la salud de los huesos y de cómo ayudar a prevenir y combatir la osteoporosis.

   http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/Informacion_de_Salud/Huesos/Salud_Hueso/bone_exercise_espanol.as...

2.   Preguntas frecuentes - Osteoporosis - Esta publicación contiene información sobre el osteoporosis. Explica cómo el osteoporosis afecta los huesos, y qué usted puede hacer para prevenirlo.

   http://www.womenshealth.gov/espanol/preguntas/osteo.htm

3. Osteoporosis en la mujer: manteniendo sus huesos sanos y fuertes (Copyright © AAFP) - Estas hojas informativas discute cómo la osteoporosis afecta a las mujeres y a la vez contesta preguntas de cómo pueden las mujeres mantener sus huesos sanos y fuertes.

   http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/seniors/common-older/136.html

4.   Osteoporosis y la salud femenina (Copyright © Hormone Foundation) - Esta hoja tiene información sobre la osteoporosis en la mujer. Encontrara información sobre los riesgos, causas, prevención y tratamientos.

   http://www.hormone.org/Spanish/Factsheets_Spanish/upload/spanish_osteoporisis_women.pdf...

5. Osteoporosis y Raloxifeno (Copyright © AAFP) - Raloxifeno es un medicamento que ayuda a prevenir y a tratar la osteoporosis. Esta hoja contesta varias preguntas sobre su uso y sus efectos secundarios.

   http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/women/gen-health/468.html

Organizaciones

1.   Instituto Nacional de Artritis y Enfermedades Musculoesqueléticas y de la Piel
2. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons en español

= Recurso Federal

Current as of December 2007