Abstract

*Isma'il L. Nauib, Mohamoud J. Pasha and Gamal V. Sadat

Osteoporosis is a growing chronic health problem that could result in mortalities and poor living quality. The most effective prevention of this disease is founded during childhood and adolescence when the prevention is actually the easiest. The current study assessed osteoporosis knowledge and practices among female adolescent students in El-Minia. Information was gathered through across-sectional survey. Selfadministered questionnaire consisting of items assessing knowledge and practices regarding osteoporosis was administered to one hundred and twelve female adolescent aged 15–18 years in secondary school. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used to analyze the data. Regarding knowledge of the studied sample about osteoporosis, it was found that 38.4 % of the studied sample didn’t know the meaning of osteoporosis, more over 75.9 % of them didn’t know what to do in the case of osteoporosis. Majority of the studied sample (90.2 %) mentioned exposure to sunlight as one of the preventive measures from osteoporosis. The present study reveals lack of awareness about osteoporosis among female adolescent, hence the findings highlight the need for educational interventions to promote female adolescents' knowledge about osteoporosis. Taking steps to prevent osteoporosis early in life is vital. The best advice is to get enough calcium during childhood and adolescence. Youth age 8 -18 years old need 1300 mg calcium every day, according the National Academy of Sciences. Women should also be aware of their risks for developing the disease and, throughout life, make healthy lifestyle choices to maintain strong bones, including eating a healthy diet with enough calcium, doing weight-bearing exercise, and stopping smoking, and avoiding excessive alcohol. It's never too early to take care of your bones, and it's never too late