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Announcements for 2007

October 5, 2007 (historical)

Interactive Web Tool Offers Bone Checkup and Osteoporosis Prevention Steps for Adults

Now, people can give their bones a checkup using an interactive Web tool called Check Up On Your Bones. Based on information from Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General, the Web tool is designed to help people understand how the information in this important public health report relates to them as individuals. The Web tool was developed by the National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases ~ National Resource Center. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health (NIH), hosts the Web tool at www.niams.nih.gov/bone.

Visitors to Check Up On Your Bones are invited to fill out a 5-minute personal profile, which the Web tool uses to create individualized information about each person's risk factors for osteoporosis as well as those factors that protect their bones. The tool also generates personalized information on steps they can take to keep their bones healthy and prevent osteoporosis, a summary sheet to share with the doctor, and a list of additional Web resources tailored to their profile.

The personal profile asks about factors related to people's risk for osteoporosis, including gender and age; family history of osteoporosis and broken bones; lifestyle habits, including diet and exercise; and other medical conditions and medications that can negatively impact bones. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become fragile and break easily, but it can often be prevented by adopting lifelong habits to protect bone health.

"We tend to take our bones for granted and think osteoporosis will never happen to us," said NIAMS Director Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D. "We think people who use this tool will learn a lot about their bones and many will be surprised to discover that they have some risk factors for osteoporosis. Hopefully, they will be motivated to take better care of their bones as a result."

The Web tool is designed for adults aged 19 and older. Information provided on the site is relevant for both men and women and for people of diverse races and ethnicities. The personal information that visitors provide on the Check Up On Your Bones Web site is private. It is not saved, and visitors are not asked for their names.

The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health, is to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. For additional information, call NIAMS' Clearinghouse toll free at 1-877-22-NIAMS, or visit the NIAMS Web site at www.niams.nih.gov.

The NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases ~ National Resource Center provides patients, health professionals and the public with an important link to resources and information on metabolic bone diseases. The mission of NIH ORBD~NRC is to expand awareness and enhance knowledge and understanding of the prevention, early detection, and treatment of these diseases as well as strategies for coping with them. For additional information on bone health and metabolic bone diseases, call the National Resource Center toll free at 1-800-624-2663 or visit the Bone Resources Page at www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone.

The NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases ~ National Resource Center is supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases with contributions from the National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, and DHHS Office on Women's Health.