The Effect of a Short Educational Program on Young Women's Knowledge and Beliefs About Osteoporosis

Objective. To determine the effect of a short osteoporosis educational program on young women's knowledge and beliefs about osteoporosis. Methods. Ten college physical activity classes enrolling 133 predominantly Caucasian women (age range 18 to 21 years) were randomized to an osteoporosis educational program or control. Knowledge and beliefs about osteoporosis were assessed at baseline and at one week and three weeks following the intervention using the Multiple Osteoporosis Prevention Survey. Knowledge was defined as the ability to identify correctly osteoporosis risk factors. Beliefs were measured with the use of a five point Likert type scale. The educational program was comprised of a lecture and printed materials developed by the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Chi-square and analysis of variance evaluated for between group differences. Alpha was set at 0.05.