Bone health across the generations: a primer for health providers concerned with osteoporosis prevention

Osteoporosis represents a major public health problem by virtue of later life association with fragility fractures which may indeed be the first sign of this “silent epidemic”. While as prevalent as cardiovascular and other age-related chronic diseases, efforts at osteoporosis prevention have been less successful due to limited commitment among the public to take steps to maintain their “bone health”, and fragmentation of osteoporosis management among different health specialties, indeed with many reports of deficient physician knowledge of the subject. This paper presents a survey of the factors that contribute to bone loss or accrual in women across the generations, including adolescence, the reproductive years, the menopause inception, and the decades thereafter. Health providers in a variety of disciplines aware of and inquiring about the spectrum of bone changes in their patients over the generations may intervene effectively in a more timely manner to limit future fracture occurrence.