Development of Intervention Model for Osteoporosis and Fall Prevention in Taiwan

Department of Chronic Disease and Health Promotion of World Health Organization listed eight classes of chronic disease which will be important globally in the future. And the sixth class is "Chronic Rheumatic Condition", which includes rheumatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, spinal disorders and severe limb trauma. Obviously the osteoporosis is a globally important health topic.

Osteoporosis draws more and more attention, because osteoporosis has various influences, for example, (1) psychologically impact which occurs frequently in many chronic diseases, such as depression will appear evidently in patients with osteoporosis (2) patients with osteoporosis often lose their social role (3) osteoporosis might induce pain and limitation of body function (4) osteoporosis increases greatly the possibility of fracture. Osteoporosis will induce adverse outcomes, such as the fall of life quality, the increase of morbidity and mortality, as well as the increased abuse of medical service. In this project, the investigators will set up the intervention model for prevention of osteoporosis as well as falls.

In this project, the investigators will recruit patients form outpatient services at WanFang Hospital. Through the collection of baseline data from questionnaire and bone density measurement, the investigators can clarify the risk of osteoporosis and falls in studied patients. By using double-blind randomized design, the patients will be collected to either one of intervention and control group. After eight weeks of intervention programs, the investigators will follow on both groups to understand the effect of this program and to increase the bone density of intervention group. The hospital or the Health center might take the outcome to be the reference of taking care the Osteoporosis.