A recent survey suggests that 90% of adults are unaware of men’s risk for developing osteoporosis, which can lead to painful fractures, disability, and early death. The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) released the survey’s findings on World Osteoporosis Day, which is held October 20.

The findings indicate that on average, 90% of 13,258 adults questioned are unaware of how common osteoporotic fractures are in men. One in five men aged 50 years or older are impacted, according to an IOF news release. Yet, the data reportedly confirms that osteoporosis remains a vastly underestimated and neglected health issue. The multi-national survey, carried out among adults from 12 countries, suggested that this unawareness was universal and independent of gender or geography.

Learn more about the study in this fact sheet

In the release professor John Kanis, president of IOF, emphasizes that the reality is that by not knowing their risk, men are leaving themselves vulnerable to a future of pain, disability, and possibly early death.

“The problem is being further exacerbated by doctors not addressing the bone health of their patients during routine check-ups,” Kanis adds.

The survey results indicate that men in the 50 and older age group who had undergone a check-up were 18% less likely than women of the same age to have any form of bone health assessment. The difference was more pronounced in certain countries, including 31% in the US, 30% in Brazil, 23% in Belgium, and 22% in Spain, the release says.

The 90% of those who were unaware of how common osteoporotic fractures are in men was broken down into 73% who underestimated the risk of fracture in men, and a further 17% who stated “they didn’t know.” Seventy-one percent of individuals aged 50 years or older underestimated the risk of osteoporosis in men, and only 8% of men when compared to 10% of women aged 50 years or older correctly estimated that osteoporotic fractures impact approximately one in five men worldwide when the results of all the countries were averaged.

The release notes that the UK had the lowest level of awareness, with only 3% answering correctly, followed by Belgium (6%), Jordan (6%), USA (7%), Spain (8%), UAE (8%), India (9%), Brazil (11%), Australia (12%), South Africa (14%), Mexico (18%), and China (20%). The release also emphasizes that while there are national and regional variations in the osteoporosis burden, the majority of those surveyed vastly underestimated risk.

The survey results also reveal that an average of 53% of make respondents aged 50 years or older who had visited a doctor for a routine physical check-up stated that they had never had any form of bone assessment during a check-up. This includes being asked about bone health, had risk factors for osteoporosis discussed, questioned if they had previously broken a bone, or had been referred for a bone mineral density test. This is compared to 35% of women aged 50 years or older.

Source: IOF