Osteoporosis Screening Preferences of Older Adults

We aimed to examine older adults' osteoporosis screening test preferences, willingness to travel for screening, and willingness to pay for screening. A survey was mailed to 1830 women and men aged 60 yr or older in Pennsylvania, assessing screening test preference (among dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DXA], heel quantitative ultrasound [QUS], and risk-assessment tools), willingness to travel 20 miles for a better screening test, and willingness to pay $100 for a better screening test, as well as socio-demographic and health-related characteristics. Analyses included descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses to evaluate association between screening test preference, willingness to travel, willingness to pay, and potential explanatory variables. Surveys were completed by 1268 individuals (69.3%). Most respondents indicated a screening test preference (73.9%) and, of these, 78.1% preferred DXA. 78.8% of the respondents indicated that they may be willing to travel 20 miles for a better test, and 51.2% indicated that they may be willing to pay $100 for a better test. Similar trends were observed in analyses including only individuals who had not had prior osteoporosis testing or diagnosis. Many older individuals would prefer the “best” test for osteoporosis screening, and may be willing to travel or pay more to obtain a better test.