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Nation’s staggering 173,000 broken bones prompt an urgent call to prioritise bone health

Osteoporosis Australia rebrands as ‘Healthy Bones Australia’ & launches educational resource hub

Osteoporosis Australia announced its official rebrand as ‘Healthy Bones Australia’ today (Tuesday, February 9) to reinforce the importance of prevention in response to the concerning 173,000 broken bones sustained by the Australian population last year.

Healthy Bones Australia also called for Australians to “prioritise their bone health”, by learning the osteoporosis risk factors for, and how to best prevent, brittle bones and osteoporosis. 

​Today’s announcement coincides with an article by Healthy Bones Australia experts in MJA Insight, presenting preliminary findings and recommendations from their recent Inaugural National Consumer and Community Forum. The Forum was convened to hear from people of different ages living with osteoporosis and address health system barriers to improving Australians’ bone health. 

​According to MJA Insight article co-author and Medical Director, Healthy Bones Australia, Professor Peter Ebeling AO, Melbourne, given the growing prevalence of osteoporosis and the increasing number of associated fractures, much more must be done to improve public awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy bones, and the diagnosis, and treatment for those “at risk”, and living with the disease.

​“Concerningly, the prevalence of osteoporosis in Australia is on the rise, with more than 4.74 million Australians over 50 (approximately two-thirds of those aged 50+) living with poor bone health.”1

​“Early diagnosis of osteoporosis is vital to reducing fracture rates and their subsequent impacts and costs. These osteoporotic fractures cost the Australian healthcare system more than $3 billion each year,”2 said Prof Ebeling.

​The Forum called for heightened community awareness, education, and improved diagnosis and management of osteoporosis. Recommendations included:

  • The critical need for readily accessible osteoporosis treatments;
  • Improved capture of patients post-fracture through the hospital system to both diagnose osteoporosis and commence treatment (via more Fracture Prevention Clinics);
  • A substantial increase in Australians’ awareness of risk factors for poor bone health and osteoporosis; and
  • General Practitioners (GPs) focus more on bone health to prevent osteoporosis and fractures.

​“The renaming of our consumer organisation to ‘Healthy Bones Australia’ reflects our aim – to protect, support and build better bone health for all Australians,” Prof Ebeling said.

​The forum was convened as part of the National Strategic Action Plan for Osteoporosis (released by the Federal Government in 2019). Forum participants, including GPs, specialist groups, policymakers, professional associations, national health organisations, people living with osteoporosis, community groups and other bone health-related organisations, examined current challenges and issues facing the health system and concurred that in Australia, community understanding of the importance of bone health is limited, and should therefore become a much higher national health priority.

​According to MJA Insight article co-author and Deputy Chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee, Healthy Bones Australia, Dr Weiwen Chen, Sydney, educating target populations about the risk factors for osteoporosis is critical to ensuring earlier diagnosis of the disease, reducing fracture rates, and curbing their impact and cost.

​“Public health messaging about prioritising and maintaining healthy bones tailored to those aged 50 and over with risk factors, younger adults with specific risk factors, and those who have sustained a fracture, is very important.

​“Evidenced-based, consumer resources are vital, alongside core services, such as a national website,
a toll-free helpline, risk factor fact sheets and online self-assessment tools, all of which are free of charge from Healthy Bones Australia,” Dr Chen said.

“These resources remain critical, together with targeted awareness campaigns, particularly given COVID-19 restrictions have shown online access to credible health information is highly valued.”

​By 2022, around 6.2 million Australians over 50 years of age will be living with poor bone health
(either osteoporosis or osteopenia), 1 equating to 183,105 fractures each year. By 2022, a fracture will occur every 2.9 minutes, 1 resulting in 501 fractures per day, 3,521 fractures per week, and 183,105 fractures per year.1 By 2022, the projected cost of poor bone health among Australians over 50 years will be $3.84 billion, comprising ambulance services, hospitalisations, emergency department and outpatient services, rehabilitation, aged care and community services.1 The direct and indirect cost of poor bone health and associated fractures over 10 years (2012-2022) is $33.6 billion.1

​“Ignoring bone health has severe consequences, including broken bones. This should be avoided by focusing on prevention, which means understanding risk factors for poor bone health, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment,” said the CEO of Healthy Bones Australia, Greg Lyubomirsky, Sydney.

“Our new name, ‘Healthy Bones Australia’, reflects this goal, while our new resource hub – healthybonesaustralia.org.au – offers the community valuable educational tools. Poor bone health is a public health issue – 173,000 broken bones yearly is unacceptable.”

One of Australasia’s most successful sixties female pop stars, Dinah Lee, 77, Sydney, is preparing to embark on an Australian music tour. However, Dinah would have been unable to participate had the tour been scheduled four years ago. Then plagued by persistent lower back pain, which compromised her ability to walk, Dinah visited her GP, who confirmed she had sustained several spinal fractures and was living with osteoporosis. This disease also afflicted her mum.

​“I’d sustained so much bone loss when I saw my doctor that he said I should have visited him 20 years earlier.”

​Today, Dinah encourages all Australians, regardless of age, to care for their bones by learning how to prevent osteoporosis best, citing, “It’s important that everyone, from the young to the old, focuses on building and maintaining healthy bones.”

As part of today’s launch, we are sharing important personal stories to highlight the need for prevention and to explain the serious side of poor bone health.

FOR MEDIA